Illusions of Bliss
by x-Artichoke-x
Summary: Chris and Jill finally left their old life behind, however an unexpected visitor turns their lives upside down. Things become worse when an unfamiliar enemy appears, much stronger than those in the past. Post RE5 CxJ slight CxS LxA
1. Illusions Of Bliss

_**Illusions of Bliss**_

**Title is from a Sarah McLachlan song. Guess who's back, back again, Arti's back, tell a friend! Seems you just can't get rid of me, here's another story! XD**

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Chris Redfield sat in his brightly lit living room, the spring sunlight poured through the windows. He was now living the suburban dream, a nice house, a beautiful garden, friends and family mere houses away from him. Everything seemed perfect.

He removed his gaze from the outside trees, and back to delicate drawing in front of him. Picking up his pencil, he put the final touches and strokes of shading onto his masterpiece. He never had the time before for his drawing, it was a great hidden passion of his, but was put to the side after his life changed with the Mansion Incident in Racoon. Since returning from Africa, it seemed his flair for sketching returned.

What people could do with words to capture feelings, Chris could do with a mere stroke of a pencil. His pictures always had meaning. His first detailed drawing being that of his young sister, Claire, on her fifth birthday along with his parents. After his parent's tragic death, Chris spent months perfecting a painted portrait of both of them for Claire, it became a comfort for her. The last drawing Chris had attempted was that of his partner Jill Valentine. After she sacrificed herself for him, Chris couldn't forgive himself. He drew a detailed shrine in her memoriam, the picture had been banished away ever since.

"You okay, mister?" Chris immediately flipped his page upside down, and turned to the source of the voice, smiling as he laid eyes upon the woman he thought he would never see again.

"I'm good... Dare I say it, I'm happy." He was being honest, his smile portrayed this. He was happy, he was ecstatic; he finally got the chance to live the life his parents had always wished for him. "It's all thanks to you, Valentine."

"You flatter me too much." Jill Valentine said, tugging slightly to her light blue dress. She gently sat down into a chair next to him, "Notice anything different?"

...

"...Your hair. You dyed it back." His lips curved automatically into a broad smile. Under Wesker's control, the experiments run had destroyed the pigments in her hair, and she was left with dull blonde locks. Her hair was back now to its original chocolate brown colour.

"Yeah, well it was about time. I want to destroy any connection I ever had with that man." Jill spoke confidently, but Chris could always notice the miniscule hesitance in her voice when she mentioned their ex Captain, Albert Wesker.

He had brought the two nothing but pain for ten years and especially so in the years Jill was under his control. In the months after their return from Africa, even with the death of Wesker, the pain was as evident as it had ever been. Haunted by images and memories she couldn't forget, it took a long time for Jill to recover, but she found her way eventually.

"You know I've always had a thing for brunettes." Chris said, a smirk playing on his older features.

"Yeah, me too..." Jill glanced upwards towards his short brown hair, and then brought her gaze back to the deep green eyes she had grown to love over the years.

The two never had a relationship previously, their fight against Umbrella and Wesker came first, love would just complicate things. However, there was always a certain undeniable, unspoken bond between the two, they fit perfectly together. Now, their life was back on track, they had openly admitted their feelings. The two needed each other; no one else would be able to comprehend what they had been through.

"So what do you have there?" Jill asked pointing the paper in front of him.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing..."

"It doesn't look like nothing. Let me see." She reached over him and snatched the page from the coffee table.

"Hey! Jill, don't you dare." A coy smile appeared on her lips, antagonising slowly she turned over the paper. The smile faded off her face,

"Chris?" She barely even whispered. The drawing showed the moment she, Chris and Sheva left from their mission. There was no colour in it, but nevertheless it was elegant. He had drawn herself and Sheva perfectly in the helicopter. Jill had never seen herself as beautiful, but it seemed his picture had captured the entirety of her beauty and the essence of her soul.

"This is beautiful. I never knew you draw." She said, not retracting her eyesight from the delicate drawing before her.

"It's all part of the enigma that is Chris Redfield." He chuckled, running his hand nervously through is hair. He was scared of getting a harsh critique; no one ever knew his sordid secret of drawing apart from Claire.

"Why did you never show me these before?" She exclaimed, dainty fingers running along the pencil lines.

"Well it's not exactly something that just comes up in conversation. And anyway, it's not a very manly hobby, is it? I should be out pumping 'ron or playing poker or something." Jill giggled slightly at his comments.

"I think it's lovely. But I have to ask, what are you doing still in the BSAA? You should be an artist for goodness sake!" She joked.

"I wouldn't go that far... Besides work isn't that bad at the moment, I think they're still giving us a bit of leeway."

"Yeah, well I'm not complaining, I like the extra time off."

"Kind of makes me feel like never returning. I've lived my life, you know? I want to settle down, have a family, a normal job..." Chris said. His dreams weren't over ambitious, but yet it felt odd to voice them. For someone who spent his entire life fighting for the people, the idea of settling down seemed absurd.

"Well, hopefully we can. You deserve it, we deserve it." A comforting smile crept upon her lips.

"Speaking of family..." Jill shook her head solemnly, stopping Chris's words.

"No...Nothing," Chris hung his head, immediately a hand was placed healingly on his lap,

"But it'll be okay. We'll keep trying, Chris. My biological clock is slowing, so it might just take time. Don't worry." She let out a slight laugh to try to lighten the mood.

"How do we even know you can have kids, Jill? All the experiments done and shit, we don't even know anymore." Jill moved her hand to his, and squeezed reassuringly.

"You'll be a dad, Chris. And you'll be a great one at that."

* * *

Peter stepped slowly out of the house, leaving behind the heart broken younger Redfield. It seemed to be the story of Claire Redfield's life; no love, no relationship. She began to believe she would spend the rest of her life alone, and just never settle. That idea broke her heart, more than the many failed relationships ever could. She wasn't getting younger, and on top of that as bad as it sounded, she strongly envied the love her brother had found. She always dreamed of something like that. In her eyes, it was flawless.

The door to the house crept open, a dirty blonde haired man emerging behind it.

"Leon?" Claire chocked, trying to conceal her whimpers. Her voice made him jump, as he realised she was sitting on the base of the stairs.

"I saw Pete leave. Didn't work out, huh?" He asked, closing the mahogany door behind him.

"No. Never seems too. No particular reason, I just can't seem to find the right person."She sighed.

"It'll be okay, Claire. But we're on the same boat."

"Difference between you and I, Mister Kennedy, is that I want to settle down, you're happy enough with your multiple women." She quipped, receiving a chuckle from Leon.

"Whatever..."

"I'm thinking I should leave...I think I've overstayed my welcome." Claire said. Leon shook his head and plonked himself down beside her on the stairs. "I was just meant to be staying here till Jill recovered. It's been like eight months, and she is better. I feel awful."

"Don't." He laughed and placed an arm around her shoulder pulling her into a friendly embrace. "You can stay as long as you like. I'm not going to lie, I love the company...Besides, now Jill's better, you wouldn't want to be living in that house, might be a bit loud if you know what I mean.."

The young man winked,

"Ew! You're sick mind never fails to amaze me..." She said, pushing him lightly off her. "Chris is popping over anyway, so I'll talk to him about living arrangements... Are you sure I'm not invading your space?"

"I'm sure. I'd actually prefer it, if you stayed."

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"I'm off to see Claire. Sure you don't want to come?" Chris asked Jill, while placing his leather jacket on.

"I'm sure. I'm looking forward to having a nice relaxing day, without you." She joked.

"Oh! You cut me deep there, Jill." He quivered his bottom lip, and immediately Jill wrapped her arms around his torso.

"You know I'm only kidding." She squealed, hugging him tighter.

"I love you, pretty girl." He whispered. It seemed cheesy, but he finally had her in his arms. He couldn't let that go.

Jill retracted her arms, and stood swiftly up on her tiptoes to place a tiny kiss on his lips. A smile formed on his lips, as he got the car keys and left for Claire's.

Jill slumped herself down on the sofa, a large bowl of ice-cream sitting comfortably between her crossed legs. There was no denying it, it was comfort eating. To the outside, she looked to have the perfect relationship with Chris: solid and safe. In reality, the pressure of trying to conceive was leading the woman to insanity. Although she would never show it, she had great fear and the same concerns as Chris. She knew there could be a possibility of being infertile, and it scared her more than anything. It petrified her that she may never be able to give Chris what desired most in the world.

The doorbell rang, and pulled Jill from her insecurities. Wiping away the stray tear, she got up to the door.

"Hello?" Jill asked.

"Hi..." A young girl around fifteen or sixteen, stood at the door nervously. She bore great resemblance to Claire, and everything about her, reminded Jill of Claire's younger years. Jill looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to get to the point of this interruption.

...

"Yes?" Jill asked being slightly annoyed by the girl's lack of conversation.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I jus...I'm nervous. My name's Anna." The young girl's face was riddled with worry, and she began to twiddle with lose strands of long brown hair.

"I don't know if I'm even at the right place... Does a Chris Redfield live here?" Anna avoided all eye contact with the older woman.

"Yeah, he does actually." Jill warmed slightly to the girl, now knowing she was associated with Chris. She felt for Anna, the girl looked like a deer caught in headlights. "May I ask why you want to know?"

"...Uh... Can you tell me if this is him? Just so I know I have the right place..." Anna drove into her jeans pocket, pulling out a tattered old photo and handing it to Jill.

"...Yeah it is." Jill whispered. The photo made her smile; it was one she had never seen before. It showed Chris in his full US Air force uniform, he was smiling sheepishly into the distance. He looked so fresh faced like he had in the beginning of STARS. His face showed pure happiness, no responsibility, no worries. His green eyes shone brightly showing his innocence, over the years it seemed they had faded along with his faith.

"Can I talk to him, please?" Anna pleaded.

"He's not here at the moment. I'm sorry, but I can tell him whatever you want." Jill suggested, but she caught hesitance in Anna's demeanour.

"Can I ask who you are to him?"

"Of course. I'm his girlfriend." Jill proudly proclaimed.

"I'm sorry... I don't want to hurt you..." The young girl's eyes began to swell, and Jill's heart went out to her.

...

"What is it sweetie?" Jill was shocked by her sudden tears. It seemed unnecessary.

...

"He's my dad." The bombshell hit.

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**Well, all will be revealed in the next chapter. Hopefully I won't make the story as clichéd as it seems... Sorry if it does seem somewhat of a terrible storyline but it will pick up! **

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated! :D**

**[Advertisement: for all those lovers of Wesker, I advise you to read Angelica Burrows' RE: Redemption...Haha. Seriously though, it's good!]**

**Artichoke,**

**x**


	2. Cold, But I'm Still Here

_**Cold, but I'm Still Here**_

**Song is by Evans Blue.**

**Big thank you to all the reviewers, very sweet of yous! XD Enjoy!**

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"He's my dad." Anna shuffled her feet, and refused to look at Jill's overflowing face of horror.

"What?" The assertion in the voice made Anna immediately jump away from the source behind her. Chris eyed the young girl from head to toe, in complete shock from her revelation. He had heard the tail end of the conversation. He became breathless, random convulsions of nerves coursed through his body. He didn't believe it, he couldn't believe her words, yet his heart doubted his mind. When he laid eyes upon her, he saw himself. The deep brunette locks, piercing emerald eyes; she was a miniature of her father. Yet Chris couldn't raise a smile towards the child he had longed for. He didn't need this, he didn't _want_ this.

He averted his gaze from the awkward girl and towards the woman he loved standing behind her. Her face was covered in shock and, had Jill not have been such a strong person, tears would have been flowing down her face. Her deep blue orbs met Chris's. He needed reassurance from her, she could see this, he needed a smile, a nod, something to tell him it would be okay. Jill didn't give him anything. She handed him the photo,

"Where did you get this?" He demanded. The fear in his daughter's eyes from his harshness broke his heart right there on the spot.

"Chris!" Jill scolded him for his anger, and led the girl into their kitchen sitting her down at the large wooden table. Her olive eyes were already shimmering with extra water, and within seconds she was frantically removing the tears that fell.

"I'm sorry, I should have never come." Anna whimpered to Jill. She still refused to look at her father, needless to say, he hadn't made the best impression. Jill patted the other girl's hand lightly,

"Don't be silly. We're just in shock. Talk to us." She gave a light smile.

...

"I'm sixteen years old, and it was my mom who gave me the photo. She knew you when you were in the US Air Force. Laura Johnson." Anna spoke quietly and cautiously, turning her head slightly to Chris standing behind her. Memories flickered within the man's forest eyes.

"_You know, I wouldn't mind if you wore your uniform here every once in a while. Can't beat a good nurse outfit." Chris joked, laying multiple kisses along the blonde's elegant cheekbone and neck. _

"_Well, you should do the same, I wouldn't say no to your uniform." Chris let out a low chuckle, and shifted his weight slightly so he was now pinning Laura to the bed. She continued to run her fingers along his back, and up to his dark short locks, tugging lightly._

"_You know I'll be leaving soon..." He hated to bring it up, but they couldn't put it off forever. Laura was older, more mature, she knew how she felt. And if his feelings were genuine she would follow him wherever he went, and stick by him. But something within her told her, his feelings weren't exactly the same as hers. She moved her fingers to reside along his shaven cheeks._

"_But this is just a bit of fun, right?" He asked, planting a delicate kiss upon her head. She gave a nod in agreement, but her hazel eyes seemed to fade._

"Yeah, we had a short relationship, about four months. She was a nurse in the barracks we were staying at in Pittsburgh. I can't believe she didn't tell me..." He said. Understandable if it was a one night stand that she wouldn't tell him, but they were close, he never expected her to hold such important information from him.

"She regretted not telling you, but she said at the time she couldn't risk you giving away everything for me and her. You needed the money for your sister's college funds, and mom didn't want you to leave the air force. She always said if you knew she was pregnant, you would have stuck by us. She didn't want to trick you into staying." Anna replied calmly. She showed no anger towards her absent father. It wasn't his fault and her whole life she never once blamed him.

Chris nodded understanding Laura's reasons. But he couldn't help but think something else was part of it too.

"_I love you..." The three words no young man wants to hear when he's simply having fun. Laura whispered the words, almost inaudibly. But Chris heard, and panicked._

"_...Thank you." Seemed it was all he could say. The sadness in her eyes conveyed the broken heart within._

_..._

"_I'm not ready for this, Laura. I'm only twenty, living my life. I can't deal with a serious relationship on top of the air force." He tried to fix the damage, explaining himself, but it was useless. Now knowing Chris wasn't ready and didn't feel the same, Laura left him to live his life. The two never spoke again. _

_One of Chris's biggest regrets was his refusal to admit his feelings. He was young and scared, but looking back, their feelings were probably mutual._

"I always knew you were my dad, she never denied it. But I didn't really start questioning why my dad wasn't with me until I was about ten. By then, she had heard all about the conspiracies with the Mansion Incident and Umbrella. She didn't want to contact you, you'd been through enough. But she practically detailed your life for me. I have a book full of the photos she could find, and all the news reports about you. You're somewhat of a hero." She said. Chris frowned, his daughter knew everything about his years of life, yet he knew nothing of hers.

"I guess she wanted to protect you from our life. Can't blame her." Chris said, glancing towards Jill.

"Did you go through all this too?" Anna asked Jill in shock.

"Yeah, I met Chris is STARS. We did it all together, I'm Jill Valentine." Jill smiled.

"Wow, there's a lot of stuff about you too. I can't believe you two are in a relationship. It's like the greatest love story ever. Girl sacrifices herself for boy, boy searches the world to find girl. That's love." She exclaimed, surprised to actually see the woman she had read much about, yet never seen a picture of. "Wait. That is what happened, right?"

"That's about the gist of it, yeah." Jill said laughing.

"If you've known about me your whole life, why come now?" Chris asked. He was still in shock, but from talking to Anna, he liked her.

"Mom died of cancer last year. I've been living with my grandparents in New Castle, ever since. And then I found out a Chris Redfield was living in the city, I thought it was fate. I mean, I didn't know if it was you, but it was worth a shot."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom." Chris said. If his maths was correct, Laura would have only been thirty-nine years old. It must have been devastating for Anna.

"No it's okay. Look, I'm sorry for coming here and messing everything up. This must be so hard to absorb. I think I'll leave..." Anna said, and picked up her coat.

"It's not messed up...I'm glad you came." Chris said, receiving the first genuine smile from his daughter.

"You should come back tomorrow, if you wanted of course?" Jill suggested.

"I'd like that." Anna smiled and left the house.

Chris sighed and placed himself heavily down in the seat, burying his head within his hands.

"Strange day, right?" Jill said, patting him lightly between the shoulder blades.

"Yeah... It's all happened so fast." He whispered, "She's sixteen years old, and I don't know the first thing about her."

"There's no possibility that-"

"No." Chris cut her off, "It all adds up, she knows too much to be lying."

"This is crazy. You're going to have to tell everyone. How'll they take it?"

"Claire will love it, just another person to gang up against me with." He chuckled.

"You'll be a good dad, Chris. You just need to bond with her."

"Yeah, but she's a stranger it's hard to do."

"Well that's why we'll keep contact with her, and that's what tomorrows for." Jill said smiling. Chris removed his head from his hands, and reached over to grasp her hand.

"How do you do it?" He asked, turning to gaze into her soul.

"Do what?"

"You're so supportive. I thought you'd be freaking out, or upset or something."

"I guess I handle these situations well. I'm fine." In reality, Jill had learned to accept disappointments. She'd had many in her life, and it's just another drawback. You pick yourself back up and fight through it. She would never admit _everything_ to Chris; some things were for her alone to know and suffer.

Chris leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. He was oblivious to Jill's discontent.

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Anna arrived at the Redfield house at the time arranged. Glancing to the drive, she saw a car was missing, and she didn't get a reply from her knock. She checked her watch ensuring it was the right time, and knocked once more. When again she got no answer, she gently pushed open the door, calling into the house,

"Chris? Jill?"

...

No voice replied, but she heard something echoing through the house. Moving carefully inside, she could hear what sounded like sobs. She tiptoed up the stairs and towards the cause of the sound. Glancing into the master bedroom, bottled up salty rivers poured down Jill's face. The older woman hadn't noticed her presence, too caught up in her cries.

Anna saw what looked like a pregnancy test to Jill's side. She was unsure to let Jill know of her presence, she felt terrible for her. The sound of a car pulling up distracted both Jill and Anna. Jill wiped away the pain, and slipped into the en suite. Meanwhile Anna tried to rush down the stairs while staying quiet.

"Anna?" Chris's voice from the front door made the young girl jump on the spot. "Everything alright?"

"...Yeah. There was no answer so I came in to look for you." She said shakily.

"Yeah I was held up, sorry about that. Hmm, Jill must be asleep or something."

"Must be..." She whispered.

After seating her at the table, and offering a drink, Chris began the 'bonding' time with his daughter. Problem was, he hadn't known her for her whole life, and had nothing to relate to her with.

"So, what do you like?" Chris asked awkwardly, taking a sip from his coffee.

"I'm a teenager so not much." She received a low chuckle from her father. "I'm pretty normal, the usual stuff. But I'm not a typical girly girl, so don't expect me to be a daddy's girl."

"Never would." He laughed. Although it was awkward, the more they spoke the more they grew to each other. It would take time, but so far it was going alright.

"Hey Anna. I'm going to see Rebecca, you two okay?" Jill asked appearing at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yeah we're fine here. Take care, Jilly." Chris smiled, and gave her a little wink. Anna smiled to Jill and looking at her, she was a completely different person than Anna had seen earlier. There was no evidence of tears, she seemed happy as can be.

"Is everything okay with you two?" Anna asked once Jill left.

"Yeah, she's handling this really well." Chris replied, his lips curving into a genuine smile. Naive of him to think so. Anna couldn't tell what she had seen; she'd only met the people, it wasn't her place to do so.

...

"You know, I'm really sorry that I wasn't there to see you grow up." Chris admitted, a frown growing on his ageing features.

"I know, but honestly, I don't blame you Chris." He nodded. "...I have some photos, I mean if you want to see them?"

"I'd like that." He said. Anna shuffled through her hand bag to retrieve a large messy photo album. She placed in before him, and showed some of her childhood photos. He may not have been there, but the photos brought him comfort, at least she looked happy in them. Each one brought another smile to his face. For the first time, he began to feel a strong connection with his daughter.

Anna turned over the crumpled pages and photos, a random piece of paper flew out from the album. Chris leaned down to pick up the stray paper; glancing at it he saw a familiar sight.

"Did you draw this?" Chris asked, looking at the detailed sketch of Anna and her mother.

"...Yeah." She replied nervously pulling the page from Chris's grasp.

"It's amazing, Anna. You should have told me."

"No, I don't like people knowing. It's something just for me." She admitted, shyly.

"Do you want to see something?" She cautiously nodded in response. Chris rose from his feet and walked into the hall. He took out multiple pages from the bottom shelf of a cupboard, and placed them in front of Anna.

"Wow, these are so intricate." She glanced through all of Chris's delicate drawings. "I hope to be as good as this someday..."

"Believe me, you're getting there kiddo." He joked. She came upon a picture of Jill's gravestone.

"You've been through a lot of stuff, haven't you? Everything in the news was real, wasn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah basically. But I've left that life behind; you're never going to be a part of that. I will not let you go through, what I had too." Chris said.

Chris never wished his life upon her, he wouldn't wish it upon anybody. But there is only so much a father can do to protect his daughter.

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**Note: I don't know how big New Castle in Pennsylvania is, so I'm assuming it's a city. I only used it because I love Newcastle upon Tyne, haha! That reference is for all you Geordies!**

**Reviews are appreciated. Hint hint wink wink...**

**Artichoke,**

**x**


	3. Angels Show Up

_**Angels Show Up In the Strangest of Places**_

**Title is from Looking for Angels by Skillet.**

**Again, thank you so much for the reviews, it really does mean so much to moi! Also big thank you to **_**Angelica Burrows **_**who, as always, has helped me! Enjoy! XD**

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The slightest shuffle in the seemingly empty room was enough to stir the young government agent from his slumber. Groggily, Leon lifted his head and blinked, attempting to adjust his eyes to the dim moonlight entering his bedroom. Catching sight of the slender silhouette seated at his window sill, he unsuccessfully tried to sit up.

"Handcuffs? Really?" Leon choked the words out, voice still dry from his sleep. He rattled the chains attaching his hands to the wood of the bed frame, and eventually sighed and gave up.

"I just found them, thought it'd be fun. Have to make life interesting, keep you on your toes." The sweet voice of the shadow whispered, a sly smile forming.

"I think your late night visits do that quite successfully, Ada." The moonlight lit up her strikingly red trench coat, as she moved from the window closer to the bed.

"What can I say, the darkness is my companion."

...

Leon glanced to his half naked form, a slight insignificant blush appearing on his boyish features. Ada had seen it all before, but she had such confidence, Leon would be lying if he said it didn't intimidate him.

"Please tell me you didn't touch me when I was asleep." He asked, half jokingly.

"Please, in those pyjama bottoms? Hell no. You look like a twelve year old, that'd just be wrong." She replied smoothly. He glanced down to his Super Mario bottoms,

"...They're comfortable." Leon said defending his manliness. A faint laugh played off Ada's lips. "Why the visit, Ada?"

"I like to check up on you. I watch over you, someone has to make sure you're alright. You know people are always watching, and not always for a good reason like I do..." She placed herself as elegantly as ever on the edge of his bed next to him.

"Who? Whose being watched and who the hell's doing the watching?" Leon demanded, shaking a little against his restraints.

"You know I can't give it all away. I have to protect my own back. They have tabs on all of us, you and your friends." She said calmly, placing a delicate finger over his lips.

"Why are you still doing this, Ada? Wesker's dead, stop with the secrecy. Who do you even work for? I mean why can't you live a normal life, I can't even contact you."

"I work for you Leon..." She smiled. Leon clenched his fists, infuriated by her roundabout ways of answering his questions. "And you don't need to contact me. Whenever you need me, I'll be there, Just like I was when Jill was presumed dead."

She made a fair point, anytime Leon needed a help, there she was. She told Leon in advance that there was a slight possibility Jill was still alive, and he in turn persuaded Chris to go to Africa. Her information was never flawed; she was his guardian angel. There when he needed her most.

"As for Wesker, he may be dead, but the worst is yet to come. One more piece and their plan is basically set. As I said, they're watching all of us, so I would tell your friends to watch their backs." She warned him, but continued to play her fingers along his bare chest.

"Ada, this vague information is not in the slightest bit useful. You won't give me names, you won't give me location, hell I don't even know what we're talking about." Leon writhed under her touch; the lack of control drove him to the brink of insanity.

"That's why I have this." She said waving a red butterfly patterned memory stick in front of him. "It's not much, but if I were you, I would give it to your little friends at the BSAA."

"...Thank you." Leon said, gazing into her bright emerald eyes. He longed to tell her how he felt. That he missed her, possibly even loved her. But he couldn't, his pride forbade him to do such a thing.

"You're welcome, handsome. Remember my warnings..." Ada whispered. She hoped off the bed and walked towards the open window.

"Ada, wait!" He called, frantically pulling against the cuffs. Ada giggled at his discomfort, and pulled a key attached to a teddy bear key ring, waving and taunting him with it.

"See you around..." She set it down, and swooped out the window,

"There's a front door, you know!" Leon yelled after her. He sighed glancing to the key sitting on his wardrobe, seemed miles away from him. He'd have fun explaining to Claire how he got in this situation.

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"Is it bad that I'm nervous?" Chris asked his daughter walking in front of him. He had introduced Anna to the family and friends, and she fitted in perfectly. Although she had only bonded with them for three months, it seemed like she had known them forever. She spent a lot of time now at Chris and Jill's, so she felt it was time for Chris to meet her grandparents, who had looked after her since her mother's death.

"No, it's normal. But they're nice, and introductions aren't necessary. Like me, they know about you. Mom didn't hide your identity from them either." Anna said happily. She reached over into the grandparent's garden and plucked a violet tulip from the ground. The house was moderately sized detached on the outskirts of the city, opposite end to Chris's.

"I hope they don't think I'm a pedo..." Chris whispered his inner worry, receiving a look of disgust from his daughter.

"Ew. I don't think that's the first thing that's going to go through a 60 something year olds mind."

Anna hopped up on the doorstep, knocked and then let herself in.

"Gram Gram!" Anna embraced her grandmother, and tucked the tulip between strands of white hair. "Where's Gramps?"

"Here." A stooped over grey haired man steeped into the hall, pushed up his glasses to gaze at Chris.

"This is Chris Redfield, my dad." Anna proudly introduced, tugging on Chris's arm to bring him into the house.

"It's nice to meet both of you." He smiled, and shook the hands of her grandparents.

"You too, son. We heard a lot from Laura, and this little one." Anna's grandfather said happily. "I'm Frank, and this is my wife Maria."

Maria set them down in the living room, and offered tea.

"You know, she's done nothing but sing your praises since she found you." She exclaimed.

"Grandma!" Anna complained and covered her face.

"Sorry are we ruining your...street cred." Frank's remark gained a cringe from both father and daughter.

"...So what are you doing with your life now, Chris?" He asked.

"I'm part of the BSAA."

"Pretty hectic job, I'm sure?" Maria asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's pretty demanding when it wants to be. Hard to make plans, you don't know what's going to happen." Chris said.

"Well, so long as you keep Anna away from it all, it'll be okay." Frank said, patting his granddaughter slightly patronisingly on her head.

"I'll try my best." Chris smiled. His phone began to vibrate within his pocket, bringing it out, he saw it was work.

"Speaking of the BSAA, I'm very sorry, but excuse me for a minute." Chris steeped out of the room and answered his call.

"_We've got some info you probably going to want to see, Chris_." Jake said on the other end of the call. Jake wasn't the hands on, front line BSAA agent, he was more into the research side of things. He helped organise the missions and dig up information before hand. Chris liked the guy, he did his job well, and he may not have been a physical fighter but he knew his stuff on bio weapons.

"Can it wait? I'm a little busy, Jake." Chris asked.

"_Well yeah, obviously it can wait. It's not a bomb_." He replied sarcastically, _"But I really think you're going to want to see this as soon as possible. You've missed a lot of the action being off with Jill." _

"...Alright. I'll get there as soon as I can." Chris agreed reluctantly, and hung up the phone. He had to sacrifice his daughter for his job; unfortunately the work always came first. He quickly texted Claire to make amends.

Chris stepped back into the room,

"I'm so sorry, but something has come up in work. I have to go, I'm really sorry. It was lovely to meet you two." Chris said. The grandparents smiled apologetically towards him, and nodded in understanding.

"Anna, I know we had plans, and I hate to blow you off. But Claire's going to come instead, is that okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Anna smiled, but inside she was slighty hurt he had to just pack up and leave with such short notice.

"I'm sorry. Claire will look after you."

"Bye, Chris." She said, and waved him off.

* * *

Jill made herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table, skimming over the newspaper. The house was empty, as always.

She had really grown to love Anna; she was like a friend to her, a little sister. But Jill couldn't deny her relationship with Chris had suffered. Over the months since Anna appeared, the two barely had time for each other. Chris was either out with Anna or Claire, and whenever he was at home he was too tired to even _look _at Jill. She wasn't a selfish woman, she understood Chris had to be with Anna, but it began to seem she was falling _out _of love with him. She still loved him dearly, but they were just like two friends sharing a house. There was no intimacy or affection, something she missed terribly.

Her inability to conceive just made matters worse. She couldn't talk to Chris about it; she didn't want to reveal all her insecurities. Besides, there was no hope in even thinking about having a child, when Chris was so absent all the time. The most she would get would be a kiss goodnight on the forehead.

The doorbell rang, and Jill glanced at the clock to see if she was expecting someone. She prayed it wasn't another of Chris's long lost offspring.

Opening the door, a medium height familiar Latino man stood before her,

"Carlos!" Jill automatically threw her arms around the man and he didn't hesitate to return the embrace. She grasped onto his collar a little bit tighter than perhaps a taken woman should have. Carlos placed a gentle peck on her cheek, and received an annoyed snort from the older woman.

"I still don't have a chance with you?" He joked.

"Nope. No kisses."

"Hugs?"

"Of course." Jill exclaimed, pulling him towards her once more. The two broke their hug, and he quickly fixed his relatively long brunette hair.

"I've missed my foxy lady." She giggled at his words. Since returning from Africa, Carlos hadn't got the chance to see her. He had moved to work in the South American branch of the BSAA. The two kept in contact briefly with emails, but his visit was a complete surprise.

"I missed you too. How is everything?" Jill asked while ushering him to the sofa.

"Good, everything's good. Being in the BSAA, you get a lot of other foxy ladies let me tell you." He winked. "But how are you keeping? You know I was devastated when we thought you were gone..."

"I know." Jill was in slight shock of his serious side. She'd never seen it before; perhaps age had made him more mature. "And I'm okay, I guess."

Carlos noticed slight hesitation in her voice, his heart went out to her. He always had a soft spot for her, even though he knew her heart always lay with Chris.

"Chris has a daughter from years ago, apparently."

"Wow. I was not expecting that. It must be hard for you." He said, sympathetically.

"Yeah, well she's nice and all anyway." Jill gave a soft smile, which faltered when she laid her eyes upon a photo of her and Chris, situated behind Carlos.

"What else is wrong, chica? We used to be able to talk about near enough anything...Apart from your creepy lady problems." He shuddered.

"I just... I don't know. I'm confused. I love Chris, but I'm not happy." She ran her fingers nervously through her scruffy brown locks, "...Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad either. I'm content."

"What's making you unhappy?" Jill refused to make eye contact with him, she didn't need to make the situation even more awkward than it already was. She'd never opened up to someone like this before, except Chris.

"I just can't talk to him anymore. We've been growing apart since Anna came, and he just doesn't seem to pay any attention to me anymore." She admitted. "I don't think he loves me like he used too..."

"You, more than anyone, deserve to be happy." Carlos placed his hand above hers comfortingly. "You deserve more than this."

Jill nodded, but quickly retracted her hand from his grasp.

"You shouldn't just be content, Jill. You should be over the moon, ecstatic everyday. Life's too short... And if Chris can't see that, then maybe he isn't righ-"

"I'm not going to give up on Chris." She said sternly, interrupting him mid word.

"I'm not saying too. But he needs to understand how you're feeling. I think you need to take a long look at your life, if you're happy with Chris, then great. If not, you need to sort it out, or as hard as it sounds, leave for something better than this."

Carlos's words were harsh, but he spoke nothing but the truth, and unfortunately Jill knew this already. She had contemplated her choices previously, but could never bring herself to accept the ultimatum of leaving Chris.

"You know, maybe it's me? He could be thinking the exact same thing. To be fair, I haven't been that affectionate to him either." Jill said, but she didn't believe her words.

* * *

"This better be good, Jake." Chris threatened, stepping into his office at the BSAA. The young man swivelled his chair towards him, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"When do I ever disappoint?" Jake replied smoothly, running hands through his dishevelled blonde hair.

"In the sack, most likely." Chris said coyly, a cheeky smile playing over his lips.

"And how, may I ask, would you know about my performance in the bedroom? Please tell me you weren't the transvestite I took home last week." He joked.

"...You had sex with a transvestite?"

"That's a story for another day..." Jake replied, making Chris chuckle. The two always had banter, Jake had a light hearted sense of humour. At times he reminded Chris of the late Joseph Frost.

"Anyway, we got an anonymous tip off. Well when I say tip off, we got information in a memory stick..." Jake said, pushing up his black rimmed glasses, and turning the computer screen towards Chris.

"If these pictures are real, it looks like there's another research lab." Chris looked at the photos, it showed people in the cryogenic tubes, similar to the holdings used in Africa. "Seems to be human testing again, whatever happened to the humble lab rat?"

"What are they testing?" Chris asked.

"Well again, we can't be sure if the information is correct. But it seems, whoever is doing the research has been doing it for a while. From what I can tell, they're adapting Uroboros into something more powerful, more successful."

"Hmmm, has there been any evidence of the virus being released?" He asked.

"No, not that we can find. So either, this information is a pile of shit, or whoever is conducting this research is doing it very sneakily and slowly."Jake said. He handed Chris another memory stick with all the same details on it.

"I'll see what I can dig up. You should have a closer look too." He added. Chris smiled and pulled up a seat next to his friend.

* * *

Anna took a slurp of her chocolate milkshake, opposite the younger Redfield who did the exact same.

"Thanks for taking me here Claire." She said.

"You kidding me? We're in a diner, it's nothing special."Claire laughed, playing with the straw of her milkshake.

"So is there a possible uncle for me?" Claire spat her mouthful out.

"You've no fear kid?" Claire exclaimed and Anna shook her head while giggling. "But no, no there isn't."

"But you're close to Leon, right?" Anna began to push her boundaries.

"Just as friends, nothing more."

"Sure?"

"Don't push it girlie." Claire threatened. "I don't have anyone at the moment."

"Well you're certainly getting attention. That guy over there has done nothing but stare all night." Anna said. Claire turned on her seat to look at the tall, dark handsome man staring back at her.

"No, not my type of guy." Claire never liked the overly confident ones. Surprisingly, she was a secret geek lover.

"I see, well I'm only young, but I'm not even sure if true love really exists." Anna said.

"Yeah but look at your dad and Jill. After everything they've been through, they stuck it out." She argued.

"Are they...happy?" Anna asked quietly.

"Yeah, I think so. Chris has never mentioned anything, but it'd hard to squeeze things out of him anyway." She laughed. "Why?"

"I don't know, I'm just scared I'm getting in between them. A while back, I mean ages ago, I found Jill crying but I didn't say anything." Anna sounded terribly concerned.

"Relax, it was a while ago. Besides she was probably PMS-ing or just had a little fight with Chris. As long as it isn't a progressive sadness, there's nothing to worry about." Claire said, letting out a light chuckle.

"Yeah I hope so..." She said, unconvinced.

* * *

Chris slipped silently into the dark bedroom. Jill lay with her back to him, barely making a sound. He leaned over a placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and sneaked back out of the room. Another tear trickled down Jill's features, joining the salty puddle which had formed on her pillow.

She stood up and adjusted her baby blue night gown, removing evidence of her tears on her way down to the living room.

She leaned herself against the doorway, watching Chris type furiously on the computer.

"You're home late." She whispered. He glanced around to her, and gave a slight smile.

"Yeah, sorry. Some evidence has come up, have to do some work on it." He said, turning back to the screen.

"Come to bed Chris." Jill walked up to his back, and threw her arms around his neck, breathing in the sweet scent she had missed. She planted a peck on his unshaven face. "It can wait till morning."

"Jill..." He sighed.

"Come on, please." She said in a low whisper into his ear, sending a thousand chills along his spine. After all this time, she still had the same effect on him. "Please."

Chris found it near impossible to deny her pleads. She turned his head, and wasted no time to caress her lips against his. Her tongue teased his thin lips, and attempted to delve further, until he turned away.

"I'm sorry, Jill. But I have to do this. You should go to bed." He said apologetically. Nothing could hide the disappointment in Jill's face.

"...Oh, okay." She whispered. Tears began to well; she removed her hands from him, and headed back to the bedroom.

...

"I love you, you know that?" Chris said to her as she left.

"Yeah..." Jill whispered. She doubted his words.

* * *

Claire dropped Anna at her grandparent's house. A dark black car loomed under a nearby tree. As Ada had warned, people were watching...

* * *

**Done and done, and I mean done! I'll try and shove the next chapter out as soon as! Hope you enjoyed.**

**Artichoke, **

**x**


	4. Goodbye My Almost Lover

Goodbye My Almost Lover, Goodbye My Hopeless Dream

**Song is Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy.**

**I'm like a broken record, again thank you for the reviews, very kind! XD**

**

* * *

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Lips crashed together in heated passion. The long suppressed emotions flooding into their bodies, as tongued danced in unison. Clutching desperately to his shirt, her breath became hitched, not only did she want him, she _needed_ him. Breaking momentarily he began work on the tender flesh of her neck, pushing their figures forcefully further against the wall.

She made short work of his shirt, chucking it carelessly across the room. Thin fingers running themselves hungrily along the firmness of his chest, as he continued to work on her neck, sending indescribable shocks along her spine. It was more than mere lust, it was better. It was love.

She pushed her hips steadily against him, applying pressure in just the right places. Earning a gentle sigh from his sweet lips, was enough to place a satisfactory smile across hers. He ran his rough hand along her soft pale thigh, riding her skirt higher along her leg. She released all her inhibitions when he brought his fingers agonisingly slowly towards her most sacred place.

...

Jill flickered her eyes open, letting out an exasperated sigh. It had become so bad; she now had to dream about her own boyfriend.

Delicate hands brushed back the light linen curtains, allowing beams of light to burst into the empty bedroom. Squinting at the sun, Jill let out another deep sigh. Another lonely night. She woke up next to nothing, no body, no warmth, just pale bed sheets next to her. Glancing at the photo of her mother and father on their wedding day, she wondered once more if her ideas of happiness were mere illusions, just unattainable dreams.

Jill dragged herself into the living room, stepping into the September morning sun. The extra light penetrating from gaps in the curtains didn't seem enough to wake the sleeping form on the sofa. Judging by the mess, he must have crashed out. The laptop was still flipped up, and a half filled coffee cup lay on the table. Jill plucked the fluffy blanket sitting on a chair, and drew it up across Chris's sleeping body. She leaned from behind the sofa, and placed a kiss on his peaceful face. Who was she kidding, she still loved him. Always would. That didn't mean she was happy.

Jill turned her gaze away from Chris to the front door after hearing a faint knock. She fumbled to unlock it, and swiftly invited Anna inside.

"You're up early?" Jill exclaimed, adjusting her night dress awkwardly to maintain her decency.

"Yeah, it's the first day back at school, but Chris said to pop around beforehand."

"I see, well..." Jill pointed into the living room. A small laugh appeared from the young girl, after seeing her father fast asleep.

"It's okay; I'll come back after to see him."

"I'm sorry, Anna. His work's busy at the moment." She said solemnly.

The young girl was about to ask why he was sleeping on the sofa, but the puffy eyes surrounded by black rings around Jill's eyes, told her it hadn't been a good night.

"I should probably get going, you have a visitor right?" Anna said, twiddling a loose strand of hair around her fingers.

"No, just me and him. I only woke up; it's a bit early for a visitor." Jill laughed.

"Oh. I just saw a car outside and presumed..." Anna shrugged, "Well it must be a neighbour or something."

"Are they parked on our drive? That drives me insane." Jill said with mock anger.

"Well no, they're parked like on the grass bit of the garden."

Jill let out an annoyed growl, and moved past the younger girl to peek into their front garden. Her stern face melted when there was no trace of a car there.

"Must have moved. Good." She joked.

"Really?" Anna glanced behind her and shrugged. "Well that's weird."

"Yeah well, there's strange folk around. Do you want breakfast, Anna? I can make something." She offered.

"No, it's alright. I should probably get going, wouldn't want to be late for school now, would I?" Jill smiled and nodded.

"I'll tell Chris you came around, and if you want to come back later, be my guest." Anna readjusted her grip on the lever arch in her arm, and walked out the door.

Closing the door behind Anna, Jill returned to her sombre thoughts.

* * *

Anna pulled the strap of her bag into a more comfortable position on her shoulder, and continued to walk away from the house. She admired the morning sun, it always seemed to make the grass look greener, the flowers brighter, made everything better.

Being a typical teenager and not focusing on her path, it didn't take long before she had to make an emergency swerve to avoid a woman passing by. Anna clipped into her, dropping her file. The young woman apologised and swiftly picked up the file for her, handing it back.

"I'm sorry, Miss...Redfield?" The woman said, after reading her name on the front of the file. Anna had used Chris's last name in her early childhood years, but after her mother's fears over Umbrella she made Anna take her name. Now after getting to know Chris, she asked him if she may use it again.

"Oh, it's okay." Anna smiled politely, and took back her file.

"Redfield isn't a very common name, you know? I think I might know your family." The young woman tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yeah I guess. Maybe you do..." Anna replied, she hoped to walk away now to save having more embarrassing small talk, but the woman was having none of it.

"I saw you coming from that house, its Chris Redfield's right?" Anna nodded, slighty irritated by the woman's constant questions.

"Oh, so is he your dad? Do you live with your parents?"

"Umm, yeah. I live with them." Anna lied. She couldn't be bothered to go into the sob story of how her mother died, never knew her father etcetera. Besides she didn't know the woman, so she played along as if they just were her parents. Besides she had thought she'd grown closer to Jill too.

"I knew his sister. It's great that he and Jill have you. You know, you look a lot like her." The woman exclaimed. Anna tried to hide a slight giggle; again she didn't see the point in correcting her.

"...Yeah well, I should get going, I'll be late for school. It was nice to meet you." Anna smiled politely.

"You too. I might see you again sometime..." The woman said, watching as Anna walked away.

* * *

Chris took a sip from his freshly brewed coffee. He woke up mid afternoon, and only spoke to Jill briefly. She said she was leaving to do shopping, and refused to let him join her. She was uptight around him, cautious almost. He didn't like it, in fact he hated it. She didn't seem comfortable in his presence, and for the first time he feared the stability of his relationship with her.

Chris loved her with all her heart and he now began to see how it was he who had neglected her. All the times she showed affection, he cut her down, but in his defence work had piled up and Anna was a serious, yet pleasant surprise. It wasn't that he had grown apart from her, he just didn't seem to have the time to show or say his emotions.

Chris answered the knock at the door, bemused to find Carlos standing before him.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you." He said. The two got along well enough, but he wasn't at the top of Chris's favourite list. The man did hit on his girlfriend every opportunity he got.

"It's nice to see you too Chris." Carlos said sarcastically, pushing past Chris to let himself into the house.

"Jill isn't here unfortunately, no chica for you." Chris joked, leading him into the kitchen.

"I actually came for you, Chris, believe it or not."

"You've turned homosexual now?"

"You're funny." Carlos stated not amused.

"I thought you were working at the South American BSAA? Shouldn't you be there?" Chris asked, leaning against the black granite bench top.

"Yeah I am, but I've got a little break. So I thought I'd pop in to have a word with you, after already seeing Jill and all." Carlos stated.

"You've already seen Jill?" Chris asked surprised. It hadn't occurred to him till now, that he hadn't spoken to Jill properly in days.

"Perhaps if you talked to her every once in a while you would know." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Chris stood more upright, angered by Carlos's words. He himself knew it was none of his business, but Jill was a friend of Carlos's, he wouldn't let anyone mistreat her.

"You heard what I said. You know she actually talks to me. So I know what angers or upsets her, and at the top of that list at the moment is you." He spat at Chris.

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you. With all due respect Carlos, this is none of your business." He replied, attempting to remain calm. He still didn't fully understand the circumstance, after years Carlos reappears and starts criticising his relationship.

"If it's to do with Jill, then it's to do with me! And from what I've heard, you might want to listen to me before you lose everything." Carlos warned.

"We're just going through a tricky situation, we'll get over it, we always do. So why don't you back off."

"This is all your own making Chris. You're taking her for granted!" Carlos defended getting closer to Chris. The Redfield anger began to flare up at Carlos's accusations.

"You wouldn't know. Now, get the hell out of my house." He warned.

"...She deserves more than you." Carlos spat in his face. Chris's face twisted into fury.

"What? Someone like you? Stay the hell out of this!" Chris yelled, pushing Carlos slightly further away from him.

...

"At least, she would have someone to love her..." Carlos had pushed the boundary. Within a fraction of a second, Chris had slammed his fist against the man's face, sending him backwards onto the ground. He immediately regretted doing it, but of all the things to do, Carlos had questioned Chris's love for Jill. Something anyone with sense, would never do.

"Carlos?" Jill appeared at the doorway, and quickly rushed to the aid of her friend on the floor. He sat up clutching at his face, while she attempted to look at the cheek to see if the skin was broken.

"I'm alright, chica." He said, standing upright, a small bruise appearing on his cheekbone.

"Chris! What the hell are you doing?" Jill screeched at him, thumping him on the shoulder.

"I should get going. I'm sorry for coming Jill. And it was pleasant to see you again Chris." Carlos stated, and left holding his cheek.

"I am so angry, Chris! I can't believe you just did that, you are such a...idiot!" She yelled, clenching her fists together in anger.

"Jill? I'm sorry, I shouldn't hav- "

"You're damn right you shouldn't have! What is with you, Chris? What happened to the guy I fell in love with?" As always, Jill's anger moulded into sadness, and automatically she was on the brink of tears.

"Please, Jill. I'm sorry." He pleaded with her for forgiveness. She sighed and sat at the table, swiftly followed by Chris. "Please don't be angry with me."

She sighed.

...

"I'm not angry, Chris. I'm tired. I'm fed up. I can't keep doing this. I haven't been happy in a very long time." She admitted, nibbling onto her bottom lip as the tears began to flow.

Chris had seen Jill sad before, she did this quite often. She would bottle up emotions and then eventually they would flood out before him. But this time was different. For the first time he was the cause of her sadness and frustration.

He didn't know what to do, all he could do was apologise and that just angered her more. He gently reached out for her face, and turned it towards his. Her blue eyes had dulled, and he probably would have noticed this sooner had he have actually looked at them. The passion and fire that once lay behind them had gone, she was a shell of her former self, and he was to blame.

Cupping one cheek, he brought his face slowly to hers, and placed a slightly hesitant, yet soothing kiss upon her lips. He hoped to dissolve her sadness and pent up anger, like he was once able too. The touch of his skin made her heart melt, but regrettably she pulled away. She sighed heavily, but kept her face in close proximity to his.

"I've really messed things up this time, haven't I?" He whispered, running his thumb to wipe away her lonely tears.

"I'm sorry..." She said, retracting her face from his grasp. "I just can't do this. I don't know, I'm stressed, I'm not in the right mind set I guess."

Chris nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry about Anna, Jill. It must be so hard for you." He said, in an attempt to apologise for what he believed was creating her distress.

"It's not that, Chris. It's everything." She shook her head, and looked deep into the eyes she had grown to love, "Yeah, a part of it is Anna. But I like her, you know. But I'm still recovering from everything in Africa."

She quickly retracted her gaze from his eyes.

"...And I can't get pregnant, Chris." She admitted her true reasoning.

"You don't know that. We just got to keep trying."

"We're not going to be trying for a while, Chris." She let out a gentle humourless laugh. His heart sunk, as the realisation kicked in. "We've become two friends sharing a house. There's no intimacy, or affection. Hell, I can't even talk to you anymore."

"...I'm sorry." It was all he could say, he wasn't the type of person to start gushing random statements at her in attempt to change her mind. He agreed with her, he fully understood. And as much as it pained him, he knew he couldn't prevent what was to come.

...

"You're leaving, aren't you?" He asked softly.

"...Yeah, just for a while. I need to think things through." Her voice cracked and she immediately regretted her decision, even though deep down it was most likely the correct one.

"Where will you stay?" He whispered. Even in a situation like this, he still remained gentlemanly; he had to ensure she would be okay. Because to Chris, that was the most important thing, so long as Jill was okay, everything else would fit into place after.

"I'm going to crash at Rebecca's for a bit. She said it was okay."

"You'd already planned this?"He asked.

"Sort of, I'm so sorry things aren't working out, Chris." She reached over a placed one last longing kiss upon his awaiting lips, "I do love you."

"I love you too." He choked out and watched as she silently left his life. The minute the door closed, the man's eyes beamed with moisture as he buried his face in his palms.

* * *

A womanly figure walked into a dim lighted room, arms placed at the small of her back.

"Turns out our plans might not be so hard to do as we thought." The woman drawled, running long fingers through her blonde locks.

"Huh? How do you figure?" A smooth reply came from a figure crouched over various pages.

"Well, I think I found out some interesting stuff today. You see I meet a girl. You know, Jill Valentine isn't the only one with the antibodies." A smile played on the young woman's lips, proud of her findings.

"What are you insinuating? That she has a child?" The silhouette tilted their head, intrigued by the woman's information.

"Apparently so, a daughter as we thought. The girl we've been tracking, well from what she said, she's the child of Chris and Jill. Anna Redfield."

The figure nodded slowly, unsure of the validity of the information.

"How would we not know of this sooner? That girl is a teenager." They asked.

"Think realistically, mistakes happen, and of course we wouldn't know of it in the height of all their shenanigans with Umbrella. They would have had to keep her secret. She could have lived with a different family member." The young woman attempted to justify her knowledge.

The silhouette remained silent.

"For all we know, it could be Jill's child from another relationship."

"Hmm..." The person hummed, still unconvinced.

"It's worth a shot. Without the stability of those antibodies, the virus is going nowhere. We've worked too hard to give up now." She said, with a hint of urgency.

"She'll be easier to take than Jill. A child goes missing, boohoo for a month. A BSAA agent goes missing...again, and all hell breaks loose. This could work, it's all we've got." A devilish smirk appeared on the lips of the figure, "Good work, Sherry."

* * *

**Sorry for constantly mentioning Rebecca and then never showing her, I don't know her enough to write her in, haha! Had trouble writing so sorry if it seems rushed or is just a pile of bollocks. XD**

**Artichoke,**

**x**


	5. She Finally Drifts Away

_**Spinning in the Silence, She Finally Drifts Away**_

Title is from Be Yourself, by Audioslave. Don't even get me started on Chris Cornell's voice...*drools*. Ahem anyway. And the song further on is Human by Jon McLaughlin.

Sorry for the delay, it took AGES to write this chapter, and re-reading it, it's still a pile of shite, haha!

Thanks reviewers, yous are babes! Enjoy XD

* * *

For the first time in his life Chris Redfield wasn't hungry. He stared blankly at the bleak steak in front of him, eyes wandering beyond the plate. Subconsciously he nibbled in the inside of his jaw. In the weeks that Jill had left, he did nothing but think of her. He ran the scene a thousand times through his head, each one showing if he had have said this or done that she might not have left. But he was too late. He knew this.

"Are you on a diet?" His bemused sister asked, a lopsided smile forming on her lips. She shoved another chip into her mouth, and watched him intently from the opposite side of the table.

"No. I'm just not very hungry. That's all. Glad to know you care, Claire." He said sarcastically. Although it was only a week, he'd become bitter. Jill brought out the better side of him, and without her, he was slipping further towards the person he dreaded to become.

"You could at least eat the food. I'm buying remember? Usually you'd be scoffing the most expensive thing on the menu just to spite me." Claire joked, fixing the strand of auburn hair that had fallen from her ponytail. She had decided to take her brother and niece out for dinner. It wasn't much, just a nice grill restaurant. It was the least she could do for Chris. Her hope was either to get him to talk, or let him forget everything that had happened.

"Yeah..." He replied, not amused by her words. The younger woman sighed lightly; she hated to see him like this. And she didn't know what to do.

"...You sure you're okay, Chris?" Anna asked her stooped over father sitting opposite her. It was a stupid question really, she knew he wasn't.

"I'm fine...I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, girlies." He said, raising a fake, unconvincing smile, which the women returned unenthusiastically. Chris brought his hands to his face, resting his elbows on the mahogany table either side of his meal.

"I'm sorry." Anna apologised quietly, knowing he hated every time she said it. She couldn't help but blame herself, and no matter how much Chris tried to convince her otherwise, she knew she was partly responsible.

"Anna, please. Don't make things harder for me, this is not your fault. If anything I should be apologising, you and Jill are close, I've royally mucked things up. Don't let what has happened between me and Jill affect your friendship with her. I don't want that." He placed his hand upon her wrist and gave a gentle soothing pat.

"Okay. Everything will work out...Dad." The word brought a genuine smile to across Chris's face. It was the first time she had ever really called him dad, and hearing it from her filled him with joy.

"What are you waiting for, Chris? You obviously miss her." Claire asked. She knew more than anybody, how much Chris cared for Jill. Even before they had their relationship, Claire saw the glint in his eye when he spoke about her or the slight blush on his cheeks when Claire brought up the idea of a relationship. The man lived and breathed for Jill, so their break up hit Claire just as hard as everyone else. It took away any faith she ever had in the illusion of true love.

"Yeah of course I do. But I've messed up, big time. She won't just forgive me."

"Of course she won't! And you can't blame her. Look, I'm not going to sugar coat this, from what you've told me this is your fault. She won't just come back to you in time, you need to go after her. The problem is you weren't there for her, so ignoring her is just going to make things worse." Chris frowned slightly at his sister's speech.

"And what do I say to her? Huh? She doesn't want to hear any of it. I've tried texting her to see if she'll meet up but she said no." He attempted to defend himself.

"How about you tell her how you feel? Chris you're not the most...vocal man. You won't talk about your feelings, and you seem oblivious to hers. Hate to burst your bubble, but she's not a mind reader you have to actually tell her how you feel." Chris responded with an exasperated sigh, why did Claire always have to be right?

"...I'm not going to pour my heart and soul out, just to be shot down." He ruffled his hair just to give his hands something to do.

"So you're scared. Well you either try and possibly fail, or leave it and lose everything you've ever loved. She loves you, I know that. But she won't wait forever."Claire said. Chris nodded slowly, and gently closed his eyes.

* * *

The heavy wooden door creaked slighty as the delicate fingers opened it. Closing it behind her, Jill took in the surroundings she had missed. It was her home too, yet she had chosen to leave it all. The house was eerily quiet, at some stage she would have wished for the rooms to echo with soft pattering of children's feet on top of the wooden floors, but now there was no sound whatsoever. The silence was filled with the sound of her heels colliding against the floor. She came merely to pick up extra clothes and items, but stepping back into the house, _their _house, she was overcome with more unwanted emotion.

Jill walked into the living room, and over to the intricately carved table which held their photos. Everything was in place; the house was still quite tidy as far as she could see. She set down her handbag, and admired the photos before her. All of them showing each of their families. She did notice the absence of one of the photos. Not any photo, but her favourite one. A photo taken during their STARS days, it reminded her of better times. Glancing to the floor, she began to look for it. Her eyes were caught by something on the other side of the room. Manoeuvring past the sofa and coffee table, she made her way to the object on the floor.

Jill carefully brushed off the loose shattered glass lying upon it, and gently picked up the silver frame, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. Obviously, the Redfield anger had flared its ugly head up once more. The picture was taken while they were goofing around, Chris was smiling sheepishly at the camera while wearing her favourite beret, while Jill had draped her arms around his neck. A small clear puddle landed on the little glass that remained holding the photo to the frame. She set it on top of the ebony black piano.

Seeing the piano, took her mind of the photo. She had missed the piano. It was large and overly elegant, given to her as a gift after Africa from Chris. She brushed her fingers lightly over the pearl white keys, ensuring not to create a sound.

Jill knew Chris was out, hence why she came. She slipped into the velvet piano stool, and stretched out her fingers. She was naturally skilled at piano, she could play anything by ear. And although she had immense talent, rarely would she show it. Like Chris's art, it was a talent for her alone to indulge in.

Moving her lengthy fingers to the correct keys, she closed her eyes, and slowly played the song she wished. A pink tongue quickly darted out of her lips as she wet them slightly.

"_Can you tell me how we got in this situation, I can't seem to get you off my mind,"_ She sang the words quietly in perfect time to the music. She didn't have the most spectacular or original singing voice, but nevertheless she hit the right notes, and sang sweetly.

"_All these ups and downs, they trip up our good intentions, nobody said this was easy ride..." _She continued her singing, still quietly as she had little confidence.

"...Just as beautiful as ever." Jill jumped at the voice behind her, and quickly retracted her hands from the keys. She refused to turn to him, her face flushed pink with embarrassment. Never would she let Chris hear her sing. Occasionally, he would be allowed to listen to her play, but never sing. But that never stopped him, he had heard her before, and just like in the past times, to him she had the voice of an angel.

"You didn't need to stop." Chris said, perching himself on the back of their leather sofa.

"Yeah well..." She trailed off, and quickly brought down the top to close the keys away. "I'm sorry, I just came to collect some clothes."

Chris sighed. He actually had some hope that she had perhaps come to stay, naive of him to think so.

"It's good to see you again." He said softly, approaching Jill, whose back was still towards him. "Have you been okay?"

"Yeah, okay thanks." She turned slightly towards him, "...I should go."

"Wait, please." Jill was beginning to rise, when Chris's hand on her shoulder encouraged her to stay put.

"Why, Chris? ...I don't want to do this again. If I stay, I'll just forgive you. You could say or do anything, and you know I'd forgive you in a second and go right back to where we began." Her voice trembled, a cocktail of frustration and sadness building within her. Chris set himself down beside her on the stool.

"What's so bad about you forgiving me?" He asked, intimidating her by gazing deeply into her blue azures. She exhaled, and hung her head away from him.

"Because I want more. For once, I want something for myself. You've been so distant, and I just went along with it. But now I realise I could have so much more." She felt terrible admitting her true feelings to him, hence why she refused to look at him and see his broken heart. "You used to be so romantic and spontaneous..."

"Life got in the way, Jill. I have a job and a daughter; I didn't deliberately try to push you away. And I'm so sorry, I want to make it up to you." His breathing became more hitched, his heart breaking as he spoke. "...But you're right, you do deserve more. I've never been enough for you. Come on, look at you and then look at me."

"It's nothing like that, Chris. If anything, you are too good for me. You could have anybody you wanted." Jill replied, surprisingly her tears had yet to have started to flow. She still had a sinking feeling in her heart, but for the time being she was maintaining her composure.

"I don't want anyone else." Jill sighed, she couldn't argue with him.

"Chris. I just have too much on my plate. Honestly, I just need some time alone. But we'll still talk, we can be friends again like we used too, and see where it goes." Jill said.

"That's not going to work."He whispered regrettably, carelessly running a hand through his deep brown locks.

"Why?" She breathed, and turned to face him.

"It's plain and simple, Jill. It wouldn't work because I still want you. It would be awkward, because I'd spend my days just trying to win you back."He said. Jill sighed in defeat; there was nothing she could say.

...

"Please, isn't there anything I can say or do to get you back?" Chris pleaded. She reached over and lightly placed her hand on his.

"At the moment, I don't think so."She whispered.

* * *

Ada glided into the dark office, her stilettos clipping against the cold pavement filling the silent void. She leaned herself against the wall, bringing one leg up so her foot rested against it, the slit in her red dress enabling her to do so. In a swift action, she flicked a piece of jet black hair from her face,

"What did you want?" She asked the figure sitting behind the desk opposite her.

"This Anna Redfield girl, that's who I want," The smooth voice replied. Ada scoffed,

"Come on, that's not my job. Why don't you get your little protégé to take care of that?" She said nonchalantly, looking around the dull, uninspired room.

"Can't fully rely on Sherry, she's a sensitive one. Not that I can rely on you either, of course." They replied, receiving a roll of the eyes from Ada.

"I'm not going to get her for you." She said confidently.

"Oh, of course not. You're emotionally attached, right?" The person laughed slightly, "Don't presume I don't know everything about you and government boy. I know what you've been doing."

Ada raised her eyebrows and stood straight up, folding her arms across her chest. She remained unnerved, as calm as she ever was, although her hazel eyes told a different story.

"But you see I'm willing to let that slide because at the moment, I need you. But the minute that changes..." The figure brought their dainty finger to their throat running it slowly across to signify death to Ada.

"You know with all these threats, I think I preferred your brother." Ada replied calmly, combing her fingers through her hair.

The silhouette rose gracefully, adjusting their short figure hugging black dress. She waltzed towards Ada, her heels giving her the advantage of height over the shorter woman.

"Unlike him, I don't make threats. I make promises. I know you'll do what I say," She towered over Ada, and brought her mouth to her ear. Her thin lips forming into a sadistic smile, "Never forget that I'm your worst nightmare."

* * *

Jill brought her arms around to hug her legs. She had spent the last two hours watching a terrible chick flick, which did nothing but annoy her. No real relationships ever ended happily, she envied the characters where everything seemed to always work out fine between them.

"Well...that film was god-awful." Carlos, situated next to her on the sofa, remarked.

"I agree. But, it was your stupid choice, I hate chick flicks." Jill joked, raising a smile for the man next to her. She knew he worried for her, so the least she could do is smile for him once in a while, even if it wasn't completely genuine.

Carlos draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest for a quick embrace.

"I can read you like a book, chica." He let out a slight laugh. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes!" She groaned, getting annoyed by his constant worrying. "I'm fine, Carlos."

"Jeez, someone's PMSing... I was just checking." He quivered his bottom lip, and gave her the irresistible puppy look.

"I know, and thank you." She sighed, and squeezed her arms tightly around his torso, resting her head on his chest. She couldn't help but notice his change in shape. He was always toned, but now he had got muscled up too. Must have been the affect the BSAA had on people, not that she minded.

"You know, I really have liked spending time with you again." Carlos admitted, patting down a stray lock of dark hair from the back of her head.

"Me too." She whispered, breathing in his sweet scent. He smelt sweeter than Chris, Chris had a more musk essence about him, she liked Carlos's better.

He bravely placed a kiss on her the top of her head, and if she could see him, she would see the minuscule hint of red that appeared on his darker features.

"I thought I said no kisses." She said, removing her head from his chest.

"Couldn't help myself." He flashed a sly grin and a wink, a chuckle playing off her lips. Finally, her problems with Chris had slipped from her mind; Carlos was able to have that effect on her.

He cupped her face and ran his thumb along her cheek soothingly. She didn't resist. He guided her face closer to his, and brushed his lips lightly against her neck, placing the softest of kisses.

"You know how I feel about you." His whispered breath was hot against her delicate skin. He moved towards her lips, as she remained still, their faces were mere centimetres apart. Perhaps it was the lack of affection or maybe Jill did have feelings for Carlos, whatever it was she wasn't resisting to his actions. His lips brushed lightly against hers, touching ever so slightly.

Before things could go further, Jill's phone vibrated loudly on the glass table. She retracted her face from his and sighed seeing Chris was the one calling her.

"What is it, Chris?" She answered sharply. She didn't intend to sound so angry, but every time she began to not think about him, something would happen to bring her right back to that predicament.

"_Something's happened to Anna..." _

* * *

I'm assuming the majority of you will be able to guess who my mystery woman is now! Since I found out about X, I loved the idea of X being female; we need a good powerful woman baddie! Haha.

Till next time! XD

Artichoke,

x


	6. I Found the Safest Place to Fall

_**In Your Arms, I think I Found The Safest Place to Fall.**_

Title is from Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself, by the awesome Meat Loaf! Haha.

Sorry for slight delay, and thank you once more reviewers, you shall be rewarded! With what? I don't know yet.

* * *

"_Something's happened to Anna..." _Chris's voice was full of urgency. Jill scrambled to her feet,

"Okay, Chris, calm down. It's one in the morning, what's happened?" She asked, by this stage Carlos was on his feet next to her.

"_I don't know, she's just missing. I don't know what's happening." _He spoke so fast on the other end of the phone; Jill could hardly make out what he said.

"Look, I'll come straight over. Everything will be okay." She falsely promised him. Jill set down her mobile, and collapsed onto the sofa. She was always good in bad situations, but sometimes she just needed to slow down and think. It had all happened so fast, and if Anna was missing, it had to be at the worst possible time. She loved Anna greatly, but didn't want to see Chris so soon, now she'd have to face her fears and go to him once more.

"What's wrong chica?" Carlos asked, setting his hand upon her shoulder.

"Chris's daughter's gone missing... It could just be coincidence, but no doubt there are still people out to get us. I can't shake the feeling that this isn't a random attack." Jill admitted, tears threatening to pour. She looked into Carlos's deep brown eyes for guidance some sort of reassurance. But he couldn't give her the confidence that Chris had always been able to do. "I hope she's okay."

"We better go to Chris." He replied gently, rubbing his thumb comfortingly along her cheekbone. Jill clenched her fists and swatted him away.

"Carlos. What happened earlier was a mistake, okay? I don't know what I was doing."

"Come on Jill. Is this because of Chris? You didn't seem so bothered about him when you were about to stick your tongue down my throat."

Jill swiftly slapped him across his face, creating a satisfactory loud noise throughout the living room.

"Okay. I probably deserved that." He mumbled, holding his reddening cheek.

"Yeah you did. You tricked me Carlos, you knew I was upset, but all you cared about was getting with me." She defended. In reality she was angry with herself and her own lack of self control, but in order to defend her pride, she blamed Carlos.

"Oh come on. You didn't take that much persuading." A cheeky smile began to show on his features.

"Do you want me to hit you again?" She warned.

"Well I'm sorry Jill. If you think I tricked you." That was the thing Jill loved most about Carlos, he was a forgiving man. Never held anything to heart. She may have hit him, but within minutes he would be back to his playful self, and that's the reason the two never fell out.

"Look it was me." Jill sighed, "You have nothing to apologize for. But it didn't mean anything. And I don't want to dwell upon it, I just want to forget it ever happened and move on with being friends."

"Deal." Carlos shook her hand, jokily. Perhaps it wasn't the best outcome for him, but he wasn't willing to ruin their friendship. "Now let's go to Chris. He needs us...well, he needs you."

"Chris doesn't find out about this."Jill threatened him, while wrapping a grey hoodie around her. Carlos laughed slightly, but nodded in agreement. She felt bad for holding it against Chris, but as she said it didn't mean anything, well she hoped it didn't mean anything to her.

* * *

Chris had just got off the phone to Anna's worried Grandparents. The police had been alerted, and now they just had to contact anyone who might have seen her. His emotions were yet to show. And although his heart was cracking every time he saw a picture of his only daughter, his face was as hard as stone.

Chris began to fiddle with his hands, either twiddle his thumbs or bit his nails. He couldn't sit at piece, he had to do something, every minute he wasted and he could be losing his child. As any parent would do, he ran the last time they saw each other. It was at the restaurant with Claire, he never got to tell her how much he loved her. And now he feared he never would. The child he had longed for his entire life, was slipping from him.

"Chris?" Jill rushed into his living room. And he immediately stood from his sitting position. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She was meant be home three hours ago, and we can't get in contact with her. We've tried everyone, friends, family, but we've got nothing. The police are on it, but-" Chris slowed off when Carlos stepped into the room after Jill. Jealousy flared up within Chris. It was one in the morning, in made him question what he was doing with Jill. On top of that, Chris was messed up, his daughter was missing, the last person he wanted to see was Carlos.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Chris demanded, his green eyes blinded with fury.

"Nice to you, Chris. Yes, my cheek's fine since you hit me, thanks for asking..." Carlos replied sarcastically.

"He was with me when you rang, I thought we'd both come. We need as much help as we can get." Jill said calmly stepping back, closer to Carlos.

"He doesn't even know Anna, isn't that a little insensitive of you Jill!" Chris spat angrily towards her. It never occurred to her that there would be a problem. She was too busy worrying to think of consequences. Her eyes glistened as her tears began to form, Chris Redfield was a scary man when he was angry. And although she'd seen it many times before, never would it be directed upon her.

Carlos placed a hand on Jill's shoulder blade to comfort her. He could see the hurt in her eyes, and the tension in the room was ready to break. Chris took Carlos's actions the wrong way, from his position the man he had began to hate had his arms upon the woman Chris loved.

"That is it." Chris said forcefully. He strode up to the man, past Jill, and took hold of his collar. He used his strength to his advantage, and slammed Carlos against the wall.

"Don't you dare touch her." Chris warned, still holding the shorter man against the wall. Carlos refused to struggle, he merely scoffed and looked away from Chris. This did nothing but anger him more. Chris had so much pent up anger and hurt, he wanted to let it out. He wanted to fight Carlos, he wanted to punch out his emotions and forget everything that had happened. Carlos wasn't willing to give him the satisfaction of doing so.

"Someone's got too." Carlos said quietly, turning his head from Chris's. Jill jumped up beside Chris. She could already see things weren't going to end well.

"Chris, let him go." She pleaded, grabbing hold of Chris's arm. His muscle was still tense, and she hadn't the strength to remove his grasp from the other man.

"What did you say?" Chris spat at Carlos, ignoring Jill's pleas.

"Someone's got too. You know you could be out finding your daughter, instead you're trying to beat the living daylights out of me." Carlos said, provoking the older man even more. "Great parenting right there."

Chris slowly stretched the fingers of his right hand, and grinned ever so slightly. He'd have great pleasure in this. He punched Carlos across the cheek, immediately grabbing him after to chuck him across the room.

Before Chris could lunge at Carlos, who had now landed on the sofa, Jill grabbed his torso to hold him back.

"Stop!" She screamed. "What was the need?"

Chris came down from his elated fighting state, and realised his attack didn't kill his pain, it made it worse. Chris frowned at himself, embarrassed by his actions.

"...I think you should go." He whispered, stepping away from Jill.

"But, we have to help,"

"No. Just...just go. You shouldn't have come, now go live your life." He said. Carlos scrambled to his feet, covering his bleeding nose. The two left in silence, not knowing what to say to the broken man.

Chris shut the heavy door behind them, and slid down hugging his legs. His hands were still shaking from the increase in adrenaline. He did feel terrible, it was stupid of him to punch Carlos. But both he and Jill understood that Chris was just in immense pain. He grabbed his head with both hands, and attempted to drain out his sorrow. A letter sat to the left of him, scattered on the floor. He wiped his gleaming eyes and picked it up.

Reading the note, Chris's fears were brought to life. He was the reason behind Anna's taking.

* * *

With his head down and shoulders slumped, Chris cautiously opened the door of Anna's grandparent's house. They had the right to know that this was his fault.

"Chris? Any news?" Maria asked urgently. It was the middle of the night, but judging by her appearance she had done anything but sleep. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and he could see the pain painted across her ageing skin.

"Not any good news." Her heart sank at his words, and she carefully sat on a chair. Frank walked in on hearing Chris had brought information. "I got a letter..."

"From who?" The older man asked before Chris had a chance to continue.

"I don't know, that's the thing. It could be some form of sick joke, I don't know. But I think this is my fault." He admitted, pent up tears beginning to form on his emerald orbs.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, setting a hand upon his wife's shoulder. She sat silently, listening to Chris, salty rivers flowing down her cheeks as she clutched a photo of her beloved granddaughter.

"I have a lot of enemies..."

"You promised me you wouldn't get her involved!" The older man stood up towards Chris, tears flowing down his face. His hands shook with the anger that flowed through his veins.

"I know... I..I didn't mean too. I didn't want any of this." Chris tried to defend himself to no avail.

"This is your fault...Why would you do this?" Frank's voice cracked. He was confused, he just needed to blame someone. Chris could understand this.

"I tried, I didn't think anything would happen to her... I thought I could protect her."

"I have lost my only granddaughter." Frank spoke through gritted teeth, as he punched onto Chris's chest. The collision wasn't hard enough to cause him physical pain, but seeing Frank so angry and hurt, got to him more than anything.

"I know..." Chris whispered, stooping his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to bring her back..." His words were enough to bring Chris to tears. He spoke nothing but the truth.

"I'll find her, okay, I'll make sure she's alright." Chris tried to plead.

"Get out of my house. You have brought us nothing but bad. Anna would have been better off never knowing her father!" Frank spat. Chris remained silent and stepped out of their house. The guilt and pain crept upon him as it always did.

* * *

Jill sat herself back into her car. She had gone back to see Chris, she knew he needed her. But she arrived at an empty house. She attempted to call him, but again he wouldn't answer. Her life was once so simple and happy, and in the space of a few months everything had gone wrong. She had been running around so much, she rarely got a chance to reflect upon it. And doing so, it brought her straight to cold tears. Out of her own doing, she had lost the love of her life. But even then, Jill found it hard to regret her decision of leaving. Her head was fried, she loved him, but sometimes she didn't, she hadn't a clue what to do.

Jill just wanted to find Chris. He was upset, and she couldn't tell what he might do when he was in such a state. There was only one other place Jill could think where he might be. Visiting his parents. He was born and raised in New Castle, hence why he wanted to return to it someday. After the tragic death of his parents, he had to move. But anytime he needed space or just someone to talk too, he always went to the same place.

* * *

Chris carefully stepped into and sat at a wooden pew, and admired the church. It was a large size, arched panels made him look upwards. Elegantly decorated windows were on either side of the church, and in the altar were various intricate paintings and sculptures of Christ and the saints. He wasn't an overly religious man, but the sight was nothing short of beautiful. It seemed time had wasted away his faith. But nevertheless, the church was a silent, empty haven for him.

...

"Hmm, never thought I'd see that face here again." Chris snapped out of his daze, and looked up to see a priest. He looked vaguely familiar to Chris.

"My my, Chris Redfield. It's good to see you, sport." The old priest sat in the pew behind him, and Chris turned to face him.

"...How? How do you know me?" He asked politely, still trying to figure out how he recognised the man.

"I haven't properly seen you since your parent's funeral, it's a shame. You must have only been sixteen at the time..." Chris smiled slightly, now remembering the older man before him. When he was younger, his parent's took them to church regularly; of course the priest before him was the man he once knew.

"It's nice to see you again, father. I didn't think you'd still be here, it's been years."

"Yeah well, I'm not as old as you thought I was." Chris laughed lightly at him.

"What are you doing here so late?" Chris asked.

"Well, honestly, the majority of my time is spent here nowadays. Not that I mind, it's beautiful isn't it? I heard a car, always have to check some young ones aren't coming in to steal or vandalise." He replied, a frown crept upon his thin lips, "And what about you? Why would you be here at this hour?"

"Needed help, I guess." Chris sighed.

"What is it son? Something must have happened."

"I just... Everything is so messed up. I can't cope with it anymore." He admitted his voice cracking.

"Things happen for a reason. God is with us all."

"But bad things always seem to happen... How can there be a God, when there's so much suffering and pain?" Chris asked, staring into the older man's blue eyes, hoping for an answer.

"I don't have an answer to that, Chris. You just have to be the best person you can and hope to be rewarded for it at a later stage. You just have to have faith." The Father replied sadly. He couldn't say much more to Chris, he couldn't convince him to believe in God, he just wished for him to feel better.

"But I'm not perfect, I know that. I've made mistakes..."

"We all have, son."

"But I've tried my best to do well. Perhaps not by the book, but I have tried my hardest to help people and be a good person... So why am I still getting punished?" Chris frowned, his eyes still filled with water that had yet to pour.

"How do you feel you're being punished?"

"Because I've lost everything I've ever loved. Everything I've ever believed in. God, I try to be good, and nothing but bad happens. My life is in shambles. But it wasn't my choice to live this life, you know. I didn't choose to get involved with Umbrella and that shit. Don't you think I would love to just live a normal life? ...And you know, earlier I thought I could. But as always, things go wrong. And in the end, I'm left with nothing." A tear trickled down his frustrated face, but was quickly sweep away. He removed his gaze from the Priest. "You ever contemplated suicide, father? It isn't a nice experience..."

"There's no denying that your life has been hard, but you've fought through it. You're a strong man, you went through hell and came out unscathed." Chris scoffed in response. "You are strong enough to fight any obstacle you face. And nothing is ever completely lost."

"Yeah, but I messed up, and lost my love... and my daughter."

"They may be lost but they aren't gone. You can still get to them, there's always hope...And you still have little Claire, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but she's all grown up. She hardly needs me anymore."

"But you're still there for her." Father turned his head to glance behind him and whispered, "...As I said, nothing is ever completely lost, there's always hope."

He stood out of the pew and pointed toward the large carved door. Chris glanced over his shoulder to see the elegant woman stepping into the church. He slid out of his pew, and watched in awe. She caught his sight, and began to run towards him, her heels echoing through the silent room until she latched onto his awaiting arms.

"I'm so sorry, Jill." Chris cried into her shoulder, as she held him tightly around the neck, running her fingers through his hair. "I'm so happy you're here."

"It's okay." She whispered, separating from him. The priest left the two of them in peace. "I know, you're hurting, we all are."

"Yeah..." Chris nodded, "This is my fault, they've got to her."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but it isn't a coincidence." He reached into his pocket and handed Jill the letter shakily, which she wasted no time to read:

_No need to worry, Mr Redfield. Anna will be alive for as long as we need her. We'll promise to treat her well, for the mean time._

_I look forward to the day we get to meet. Until then, enjoy your life._

_A. Wesker_

"Is this some sort of joke?" Jill asked in disbelief at the letter.

"I don't know, it was sent through our door. What do I do?"

"I don't understand. Wesker's dead, right?" Reading the letter brought back to Jill all the painful memories of their past.

"Yeah, we killed him. It can't be him, don't even think like that." Chris assured her. "...I need to find her."

"We'll find a way, don't worry Chris. I'm right by your side." Jill placed her hand on his comfortingly.

* * *

Chris and Jill arrived home, she attempted to calm him. Although within herself, she was petrified too. Chris had excused himself, but after some time Jill began to worry. She walked up the stairs to find him sitting in the master bedroom, holding his head.

"Chris?" She whispered.

"...I don't want you to see me like this." He rubbed his eyes and looked away from her.

"Hey, it's okay." She immediately walked in and sat beside him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"I jus..I can't let anything happen to her, I'm so worried." He continued to sob, like she had never seen him do so before. She pulled him closer to her, and cradled his head. He felt the comfort and warmth of her, something he had missed for so long.

He pulled from her embrace and looked to her eyes for an answer. Their faces were millimetres apart, but Jill didn't know what to say. She couldn't feed him false promises. She rubbed his unshaven cheek with her thumbs, removing the water that had poured down them. Her heart fluttered at being so close to him once more, and everything that had happened between the two seemed to fade away.

In a bold move, Jill brought her lips to his tenderly. She knew she'd regret it, it would just complicate things further, but for the moment she just wished to help him. Take his mind of the various problems they had. But, one kiss wasn't enough for either of them. It had been so long, they needed more. In a momentary lapse of judgement, Chris pushed Jill beneath him, moving gently on top of her. He began to attack her neck, planting the softest of kisses upon it, to show her how me he cared and had missed her. He hadn't forgotten about Anna, but for the moment he needed comfort, and he found his comfort in Jill.

Their bodies moved perfectly together. Each one finding solace in the other during the quiet love the two made.

* * *

Rubbish-y chapter I know. Ooh well, you'll get over it.

x


	7. I'm Just a Step Away

_**I'm Just a Step Away; I'm Just a Breath Away.**_

Title is from Hero by Skillet.

As always, thank you to the reviewers, yous are adorabubble!

* * *

The room was unlike the traditional murky cell. It was completely sterile, white tiles, white bed and white sheets. It was very minimal, nothing more than a small bed and a clean toilet. The young girl lay on the floor of the room, and like everything else, she was no different; she was dressed in a light white hospital-type gown.

Flicking her eyes open, Anna sat up groggily. No recollection of previous events. Taking in her unfamiliar surroundings fear began to rise within her. All she remembered was talking to a woman on her way home, but nothing else. The realisation kicked in that she had been captured. By who? She hadn't a clue, but either way panic was sure to ensue. Her hands shook violently, as she stumbled to her feet to go to the door. There was no handle, no window, just a white door. As she stood, she noticed the thumping pain in her head, placing her hand around she felt a bump on the back of her head.

As if things couldn't be worse, Anna caught sight of her gown. She was humiliated, it had to be dream. She prayed for herself to wake up, squeezing her eyes shut but to no avail. Banging on the door, she tried to call for anybody who may listen. With no response her tears began to pour with fear and frustration.

...

Anna shot her head up when the white door began to slide open. Wiping at her reddened eyes, she watched in awe as a woman in a sleek black figure hugging dress and towering heels stepped elegantly into the room. She was swiftly followed by a flustered young looking man in white lab coat.

"Was all that yelling really necessary?" The woman drawled, gliding her platinum blonde locks out of her eyes.

"I...Uh...Who are you? ...Where am I?" Anna asked, her eyes wide with shock. She didn't recognise either of the people, and the situation was just so obscure she couldn't spit her words out.

"I'm Alex, Miss Redfield. It's nice to meet you. And currently, you're standing in a room." Alex rolled her eyes, a smirk playing on her features at seeing the discontent in the little one's eyes.

"What do you want from me? ...Let me go." Anna demanded, the tears continuing to flow.

"You're an inquisitive one, aren't you? So many questions... We'll let you go when we're finished with you. And no point complaining, we both know you aren't a fighter like your parents. You're a weak little girl, who hasn't a hope in hell at stopping us." She said, running her tongue gently across her lips. Alex stepped closer to her, examining her up and down like you would an animal.

"Now, enough with your questions. My companion here will look after you, but for the mean time, I have business to attend too. Enjoy." Alex flashed a toothy grin and walked out of the room, leaving only Anna and the man who had yet to speak.

* * *

Alex stepped smoothly into another brightly lit room, this time the room was covered in various glassware and microscope slides, it bared resemblance to a small laboratory. Sitting opposite one of the many microscopes dotted around the room, Sherry swivelled her chair to face the older woman, adjusting the collar of her lab coat.

"Is everything going to plan?" She asked, attempting to eye up the unreadable person next to her.

"Anna is secure, and now awake. Mr Johnson is in talk with her now, all being well we should get a sample sent down soon. You sure this is going to work, Sherry?" She asked. Alex was merely the brains behind the operation, she wasn't a scientist. She was a manipulator. She knew the basic aspects of virology, but the deeper, more complex experiments were done by her workers.

"Well we've been building up to this for years. It's the only thing I can think of. Our other guinea pigs infected with the virus couldn't withstand it. Miss Valentine is the only known person who has these antibodies. Everyone else infected with any virus we know of, couldn't take it. Even your brother wasn't fully stable to the progenitor virus." Sherry received a nod from Alex.

"If Albert had the antibodies from Jill, why didn't he take the opportunity to use it to stabilise Uroborus?" Alex asked, leaning on the work bench.

"From what we can see, he was too focused on getting Uroborus out quickly. But we don't know if what he wanted in a virus, is the same as you aspire too. But, had he have waited longer and modified it more, perhaps he would have been more successful." A smirk played on Alex's lips. She always knew she was the brightest out of the Wesker children. She was a clear thinker, she had the intelligence required to get far with her ideas. After all, she had already deceived Spencer and got away with it.

"You may go far in life, kid." Alex said, crossing her arms across her chest as her eyes remained pinpointed on the woman in front. Alex couldn't deny Sherry was a great asset to her, sure she wasn't the most reliable, but after all she was the daughter of William and Annette Birkin, her intuition was nothing short of excellence. Alex never regretted her decision to acquire Miss Birkin.

Although both of her parents tragically died, it never stopped Sherry to pursue her academic career. She sailed through school, graduating early. She went on to study a biomedical sciences course at college, eventually specialising in haematology and virology. When she got approached by a woman offering her a place in her institute, with jobs being very scarce at the time, Sherry didn't hesitate to accept. As time went on she learned more about her boss's true intentions and previously unknown information about her parents. She showed no sign of fear, and was happy to continue her research, despite the things she had to witness in Raccoon City.

Sherry reached above her to pluck out a microscope slide, she dropped some of the sample in the test tube next to her onto it along with dye. Carefully, using a mounted needle, she brought the cover slip gently on top, and placed in under her microscope. She examined the sample intently, so Alex decided to leave.

"If you notice any change, as always inform me." She demanded, receiving a thumbs up from Sherry who still had her face stuck to the microscope.

* * *

Anna shuffled away from the man who began to approach her. Fear boiled even more within her, her stomach forming a tight knot. She scrambled as far as she could, until the she hit the cold wall behind her.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." The man spoke calmly, rising up his hands. He had a soft accent, slightly Scottish, like a light Edinburgh accent. His words did anything but relax Anna; she found it impossible to trust a stranger.

"My name's Luke Johnson, I just have to take your blood. That's all. I won't do anything." He smiled gently, and Anna eyed him judgingly. Although when she looked at him, his eyes were genuine. He didn't give off the evil aura that the woman before him had.

"What do you want? What are you doing?" She asked.

"I don't have all the answers. You have antibodies we require apparently... What for? I don't know. I know very little." He remained in his standing position, keeping the distance between the two. "Look, I'm not part of this. They'll use me for as long as they need me and then..."

"...then what?" Anna queried, already knowing the answer.

"The minute they don't require me anymore, they'll kill me. Look I'm on the same boat as you. You have to trust me." Luke's voice was full with urgency, he seemed just as worried as Anna, and this didn't go unnoticed by her.

"I find it hard to believe you. Why would you work for them then?"

"I don't have choice. I did well, excelled at my job, and they hunted me down to use me...I've already lost my wife. I have to do what they say." His eyes sunk as he spoke of his late wife.

"...I'm sorry. So you don't know why they want me?" She warmed more towards Luke, perhaps it was naive but she believed his words.

"You're the daughter of Jill Valentine, hence why you have the antibodies." He said. Anna didn't bother to correct him, as Alex said they only needed her for that. And if they found out she wasn't Jill's daughter, she would be sure to get killed. She hoped to buy herself some time, by going along with the lie. "Besides, I think Alex would gain much satisfaction from doing what Albert Wesker never could."

"By doing what?"

"Killing Chris Redfield." Anna caught her breath. "...Now please. Let me just take a sample. You just have to relax."

Anna nodded reluctantly and walked cautiously towards Luke. He removed the needle from his bag, and an antiseptic wipe. He gently took her arm and cleaned the inside of her elbow.

"So how old are you?" He asked, attempting to distract her from what he was about to do.

"I'm sixteen..." She replied, averting her gaze from her arm. She squealed slightly as she felt the needle prick into her skin, but the pain soon disappeared.

"Hmm, that's too young. I'll do my best to get you out of here alive." He chuckled lightly, and held the needle in place as the blood began to pour into the container.

"Thank you... What happened to your wife, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked cautiously.

"Alex saw I had talent in the labs, so she wanted me on her side. When she came to kidnap me, well get me whatever, I was with my wife. She saw everything, and Alex couldn't have anyone else knowing what happened to me. She wanted everyone just to think I went missing or ran away. So, she just shot her right in front of me." Luke ran a finger through his light brown hair nervously. It was a touchy subject for him. "...But that was a good few years ago. I've kind of lost track of the time, I don't even know what day it is."

...

"...I'm scared. I'm so scared." She admitted, the tears began to flow again, "I just want to go home."

"I understand that. But from what I've heard, Chris Redfield is a hero. He'll rest at nothing to find you. I don't think you have anything to worry about." He smiled and removed the needle from her arm, screwing a lid on top of the container of blood and placing it in a sterile bag to be examined. He placed the sample back in his bad and removed his rubber gloves.

"I'll come back later and sneak you some food. Just hang in there kiddo. I'm sorry you have to go through this." He said genuinely. She thanked him, as he left the room, leaving her to herself once more.

* * *

The light from the split between the curtains woke up Jill's sleeping form on the large bed; a thin cream sheet was all that maintained her decency. She rolled over to place an arm around the man she thought was beside her. Her arm found nothing but cold bed sheets. There wasn't any reminisce of heat left on the bed or the pillow.

Jill sat up, confused by the lack of presence next to her. Her eyes began to well knowing that Chris hadn't stayed. She felt stupid, ridiculous. She was immature to think he just forgive her for leaving just like that. She glanced to the clock and saw it was only half nine. Curiosity filled her when she saw a folded sheet sitting on the bedside table. Leaning over she picked up the paper and carefully unfolded it:

_I'm sorry Jill. Last night was a mistake. I wasn't thinking straight, I should be out trying to find Anna. Everything else comes second to that. I can't help but think that last night was just you taking pity on me. I want you to be happy Jill. But you left me, and I don't think we can just get past that with one night. I'm sorry for doing what I did. And as much as I love you, last night was a stupid mistake. I'm sorry for leaving, but I have to find Anna. Take care Jill._

_Chris_

A droplet of water landed on the handwritten letter. She was angry, angry at him for being so cowardly to not say it to her face. And angry to think that their love was merely an illusion, she wanted to find Anna too. She wished to help, and she was hurt that he wouldn't come to her for help.

Jill got up and quickly got dressed. Regardless of what was going on between them, she wouldn't let Chris do this alone.

* * *

"Jake! Tell me you have information." The blonde haired man jumped at surprise to hear Chris's voice behind him. He turned around to see Chris standing at the entrance of his office.

"What? Chris you shouldn't be here." Jake replied, moving the various pages and files he had splattered across his desk.

"Look, I know the BSAA have been digging up dirt on this research facility. I think it has something to do with Anna." Chris was desperate. He knew the BSAA would be holding the information from him. It took time to get all the information required to access a possible threat. But he couldn't waste any time. He had to find his daughter. Whether the information the BSAA had was right or not, he had to take the chance. He couldn't sit happily by.

"Chris... You know I can't release any of our information." Jake said regrettably. Chris had an emotional attachment to the mission; they wouldn't let him go in with a blurred mind.

"Jake. Come on, you can't be serious." He tried to demand it out of the younger man.

Jake sighed. He was stuck between his job and his friend. He couldn't go against orders, but on the other hand his friend was calling out for his help.

"Please. I'm begging you. This is my daughter we are talking about. I need to make sure she's okay, I have to find her." Chris pleaded with him. Jake's heart went out to his desperate friend.

...

"...Alright. Look there's no information that Anna is there. But we got a location of those images we got a while back..."

"You have to tell me where it is."

Jake nodded reluctantly. He felt terrible giving away the information, but Chris was an intimidating man, he had to give him what he wished. He turned the computer screen around to face the two of them, and began to type furiously on the keypad. Shortly after various pictures, similar to the ones given to the BSAA as a tip off, flicked up on the screen.

"We think the research facility is 60 miles south of the small city Wheeling in West Virginia. It's a relatively small experimental factory or lab almost. For years it's been used for various animal testing, so we can't even be sure if these photos are depicting BOW making, hence why the BSAA have yet to look into the research facility. You need to be careful, Chris. I don't know what the hell you're planning, but you cannot mess this up for us. If this turns out to be nothing and you do some random Rambo killing spree, the BSAA will be in serious dog do do."He said, pushing his dark rimmed glassed further up his nose. Jake was scared, he knew Chris well enough to know, the man rarely did things by the book.

"Print off the details of the facility. I'm going to check it out. It's worth a shot."Chris demanded.

"Hey, no. Come on, as I said if this is all false, your job is on the line. As is mine."

"It's all we've got. Look I have a good feeling about this, and if I'm wrong then I'll stand up and admit it. I'll say I threatened you or something. Jake, I won't let anything happen to you, I'll take full responsibility." Chris's voice took a serious tone, and Jake appreciated this. The one thing Chris Redfield always did was stuck to his word; Jake had nothing to worry about.

"Now come on, let us go save my daughter." Chris smiled as Jake handed him the required information. "Do you think you can hitch me up with my gun and ammo?"

Jake's face dropped.

"Are you serious? Will you really need that?"

"Got to be prepared..."

"Alright. I'll give the guys down in the armoury a buzz and say you're going out training or something." Jake said, picking up the phone sitting next to him on the desk and ringing the desired number.

"That we are out on training." Chris corrected.

"We?"

"I'll need as much help as I can get..." He said.

"What? Chris, I couldn't successfully aim and shoot an elephant even if it was standing directly in front of me." Jake demanded, holding the phone up to his ear.

"You can drive, I'll need communication with someone..."

"...Fine." Jake sighed, "But you owe me."

Chris mouthed a thank you, as Jake started to talk to the person who had answered the phone. Chris did feel some sorry for making him do all this, but he was a good friend, and although he complained, Jake would always be more than willing to comply.

"Chris Redfield!" A woman's high pitch screech echoed through the room, making him turn on his heels. Jill stood in the doorway of Jake's office, with a scowl plastered over her face. "I am so angry at you!"

Chris attempted to hush her by bringing his finger to his lips. She was being very loud and he didn't want to interrupt poor Jake who was continuing to try and talk over the phone. She ignored his gestures and walked confidently up to him.

"Firstly..." She swiftly slapped him across his left cheek, making him cry out in pain. Jake chuckled slightly from the distance, receiving a death stare from Chris. "I am so angry that you left. And you had to leave a stupid fucking note!"

Chris's emerald eyes opened wide with shock, shock that she would swear at him in front of another person.

"And secondly..." This time, Jill brought the back of her hand to slap against Chris's right cheek, receiving another yelp from his mouth. "I am so angry that you are determined to get Anna by yourself. Stop being a hero! I am more than willing to help you. Whatever shit is going on between us shouldn't matter, you idiot!"

Chris could obviously see that she was absolutely fuming with him. He brought his hands up to nurse his injured face. The only comfort he got was to know that Jake was still in the room, at least then she couldn't kill him until he had left.

"Alright kiddies, domestic violence is never a funny matter..." Jake said, after setting the phone down. He moved around to stand between the two. "If things get much worse, I may have to call in big J. Springer to sort things out."

Chris let out a small laugh, but Jill just crossed her arms not amused by Jake's attempt at humour.

"Chris I don't understand why you didn't just ask her for help in the first place. You're a stubborn man. And Jill...you're truly a... petrifying woman." Jake said, cowering away from the older woman.

"Thanks." She replied, smirking at him. "Do you know where she is?"

"Perhaps. We're not sure. It's a long story, Jill... But if you're willing to help, I would love to have you onboard." Chris admitted. He wasn't going to argue with her now, she was so angry with him, he might as well give in to her wishes. Besides, although he regretted sleeping with her so soon, he never wanted to ruin their friendship. Jill's anger began to fade, and a small smile formed. "Besides, Jake here doesn't have the skills you do. You know, you being the master of unlocking and all that jazz."

Jill chuckled lightly, while Jake laid a playful punch upon Chris's bicep.

"Right let's not waste time guys. Let's get kitted up and go." Jake said, picking up his coat of the back of the chair.

"What do you say, partner? You going to join us, and go find my daughter." Chris asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Alright, let's do it." She smiled once more, she hadn't been on a mission for years. It felt good to be partnered up with Chris once more again. The two always worked together perfectly in the field, they had a certain understanding that normal men would have had to work for years to achieve with each other. "But this doesn't mean I'm not still angry with you..."

* * *

Warning: Next update will probably be late, apologies! XD

Artichoke,

x


	8. This Child I Would Destroy

_**This Child I would Destroy, If You Try to Set Her Free**_

Title is from the song My Medea, by Vienna Teng.

Sorry for the delay, I did warn you. Righteo well, this story has been a pain in the arse for me to write, it's been terribly difficult to put across what I'm trying to say. On top of that, I'll be getting a lot less time to write, I have big exams coming up which, hate to say it guys, but my future is more important than my lame ass attempt at fanfiction. XD That being said, I may decide to scratch the story all together if everything goes pair shaped. I'll try my best to continue with it, I may just be slower, but we all know life can be a real beach. Thanks for the reviews and support. : )

* * *

After ten years, never once was there silence between the two. They always had something to say to each other, but this night was different. Neither wanted to speak in fear of the other shooting them down, for once they felt awkward in each other's presence. Though the feelings were understandable, both had done and said many things they regretted. And the past they shared and connection they had with one and other couldn't be forgotten so easily.

Occasionally, he would grab a sneak glance of her, watching her as she gazed out the car window. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss her. But that didn't change anything. As much as he regretted saying it, his main priority was his daughter. Just as when Jill had fallen at the Spencer Mansion, she had then taken the main feature of his life and work, everything else came second to that. He just didn't seem to realise each time he put his mind on something to save a person he loved, others slipped away from him. In his quest to find Jill, he pushed Claire even further from him, and now to find Anna he was disregarding Jill. Feelings were complicated, one minute he loved Jill, the next he was angered by her. No doubt about it, the man was confused.

Unlike Chris sitting next to her, she refused to look at him. She could feel his gaze upon her, but she didn't wish to see him. Yes, it was her choice to help find Anna, but what else would she have done? A young child was in danger, and she was a selfless woman. Her feelings would have to wait, because now the most important thing to her was to do anything in her will to save the life of another. She would swallow her pride and help Anna at anything. If it turned out Anna had been taken for testing, Jill had encountered it before. She would never wish it upon anyone, especially not the daughter of the man she loved endlessly. And there lay her problem. No matter how often she would tell herself otherwise, Jill still loved Chris. She was angry and upset, but after loving someone for so many years, the feelings don't just disappear. Perhaps it would have been easier for her, had the feelings have dissolved quickly. Then she wouldn't have to deal with the heartache she felt every time she laid eyes upon his face.

...

"...What made you come, Jill?" Chris croaked out, breaking the silence between the two. She was shocked, and snapped her head to face him. She closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.

"There is a young girl in danger...missing in fact. Her life, or any other person's for that matter, is more important than our troubled relationship." Tears began to well in her azures. "You know Carlos asked me the same thing after I said I was coming to find you... And it hurts me that people have to ask why I'm here, Chris. It hurts. I mean of course, I will do anything in my power to help someone else. You broke me and embarrassed me with that note, yes. But this is someone's life we're talking about... This isn't a joke; we need to put aside our differences. We can wait...Anna can't."

It wasn't the reply Chris expected. But it made him realise why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. She put anyone before herself, because even though humanity was messed up, Jill always cared for people regardless.

"...Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me." She nodded in response and wiped away a stray tear. "And I'm so sorry for the letter. I should have said it to your face... In fact, I shouldn't have slept with you in the first place."

Chris had thought his apology may have comforted her. It did nothing of the sort, it hurt her even more by knowing what she thought was love, was merely him relieving his lust. She bit her tongue, and refused to become more angry or upset by his words.

"Let's just get Anna, and we can talk about us later." She said slightly sharply. He nodded carefully, and the two went back to their silence.

Jake continued to drive them to their destination from the front seat, silently hoping the two would correct their problems.

* * *

Anna shuffled on the hard bed until her arms were safely huddled around her legs. She didn't know how long she'd been there. It seemed like an eternity, she had no recollection of time or day. She merely slept when she felt necessary and ate whenever she was given meals. Her crying had began to stop, seemed she didn't have the energy for it. Her whole captivity was so surreal, she wished to wake up. She had got to the point where death was more favourable than this.

The door of the sterile cell slid open and was quickly shut after. Luke stood panting, and sweeping the hair from his eyes.

"Good you're awake." He puffed out, readjusting the black rimmed glasses on his face.

"What is it?" Anna asked, puzzled by his sense of urgency and despair.

"You're not Jill Valentine's daughter. You don't have the antibodies. What the hell? Why didn't you tell me? ...Fuck." Luke whispered. He rubbed his head, attempting to calm.

"I..I don't know..."

"If Alex finds this out, we're screwed." Anna regretted not telling him, and the tears that had ceased to flow now began once more. "I don't know what to do..."

"I'm sorry... I was scared. What's going to happen?" She asked wiping away her tears.

"I don't know how to keep it from her. She'll kill you the minute she finds out." Luke said. His heart went out the young woman, he had grown closer to her, like she was his little sister. He was determined to protect her. "Don't cry. We can't attract attention to ourselves...Look I'll do everything I can to prolong her finding out. But there's only so much I can do."

Anna nodded slowly and mouthed a thank you. Her hands began to shake. Although she thought about death over her captivity, the actual fact that her life could be close to an end made her petrified. She was only young, she hardly lived a life.

"I'll do all I can. It'll be okay." Luke falsely promised her. He walked up to her, and wrapped his arms comforting around her shoulders. She tensed up, feeling like the situation was strange. But she eventually melted into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Your dad will come for you." He whispered her words she wished to hear. He didn't believe them himself, but he hoped for her to be calmer. He couldn't help but feel guilty; he was working with the enemy. And a young girl was suffering because of their actions.

* * *

Luke slipped into his private lab, hoping to remove some evidence of his findings before someone crept upon it. The man jumped as he laid eyes upon Sherry sitting at one of the various microscopes.

"You seem nervous." She said, not retracting her sight from the objective lens of the microscope.

"Uh...It's just late. Didn't think anybody would be in here. What are you doing?" He asked, pulling up a chair next to the young blonde woman.

"You're job. You've been taking forever with Miss Redfield's sample. We should already be culturing the antibodies to add to our virus. Alex is not going to be amused with your delay." She replied smoothly.

"Yeah, well I'm just checking everything is set. We can't rush into things now, can we?"Luke replied cautiously, running fingers through his tangled hair. He never got along with Sherry. They had to work together often as they were the best scientists. But she was closer to Alex than Luke ever wished to be. Sherry knew a lot more than he ever would; Alex almost seemed to trust her. On top of that Sherry didn't seem to mind the work they did, whereas Luke despised what he was forced to do.

"We can't take a life time to do it either." She replied sarcastically.

"Well perhaps I would work harder if I knew what the hell I was working towards."

"Classified information, Mr Johnson. Perhaps you'll find out once we're finished." Sherry went back to examining the slide, while Luke couldn't sit at piece so paced the room all the while trying to think up of a way to get rid of her.

Sherry broke the quiet in the room by gasping, and pushing back from the bench.

"This can't be right..." She said, turning to glare at Luke. He acted innocently and so looked shocked. "Are you sure this is her blood?"

"Uh...Maybe we've got the wrong sample; we better just test again to be sure..."

"...You're lying." She said, a devilish smile creeping upon her face. Her smile unnerved the slightly older man.

"What?"

"This is her blood. She's not the biological daughter... And you thought you could fool us." Sherry smiled, standing from her seat. "I knew it."

"Sherry, please. She's just a kid. Don't you have any heart?" Luke attempted to plead with her to no avail.

"We need those antibodies. And we have been chasing nothing for weeks, and you've known this. Anna is completely irrelevant now. Alex has to know, and I'll tell her." She said, about to walk past Luke to the door.

"No you won't. You'll keep your little mouth shut." Sherry turned on her heels to the source of the low voice. Leaning against the doorway to the lab, a smirk began to play on Ada's features.

"What makes you think I'll listen to you? You're just as bad as him." Sherry spat, receiving a scoff and roll of the eyes from the Asian woman.

"Because you know, unlike Luke, that I'd hurt you. I'm not scared to kill someone, missy. I've done it before, so you'd be no different...So, you will keep your trap shut, until otherwise informed, 'kay?" Ada threatened. She was right, the one person other than Alex that scared the hell out of Sherry was Ada. She was a powerful woman, and Sherry knew she didn't play by the book.

"...So?" Ada asked impatiently.

"...Okay. But you can't hold it forever, she'll find out and when she does both of you will regret not telling her sooner." She replied.

"Yeah, sure." Ada said nonchalantly, "Now can you leave? I have to talk to Luke."

Sherry snorted; annoyed by Ada's dictating, but she still complied and left the room in a huff.

"What is it?" Luke asked caringly. One of the only people he got along with in the hell hole was Ada. He admired her, and although occasionally her actions were questionable, he knew her well enough to know her heart was true.

"Don't you just hate that little brat?" Ada joked, walking up to Luke, who was now leaning against the work bench.

"Sherry? Yeah, she isn't my favourite."

"And who is?" Ada asked teasingly. She deliberately got closer to him, standing on her tiptoes enabling her to push her body against the taller man's.

"I don't have a favourite." He whispered, sweeping a strand piece of dark hair behind her ear. His action brought a small genuine smile to her face. It wasn't love between the two, it was loneliness. Luke had lost everything, he was lonely. And even though she would never admit it, as was she. They weren't a perfect match, they were practically opposites. He was a caring, sensitive, all round nice man, she was a flirt. But their situation had brought the two together for comfort. Ada knew she missed Leon anyway, and in her opinion, Luke deserved someone better than her.

Ada placed a tender teasing kiss on his thin lips.

"You sure about that?" She asked seductively, receiving a small smile from Luke. He replied by bringing her in for another kiss. This time he made it more passionate, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. She pulled away slowly, and adjusted her red dress.

"That's not what I came here for." Ada said.

"And what did you come for?"

"You know I hate to be the bringer of good news," Luke chuckled at her, "The research facility has been caught out. And from what I've heard a certain Chris Redfield is on his way to get his daughter..."

"What? How do you know all this?"

"It's not important. What is is that Anna will be safe if he gets her on time. And so will you." Ada said.

"And what about you?" She laughed lightly.

"We'll see what I do. But I won't be coming with you." A sly smile formed on her lips. "But be on guard. Let's hope you get out okay. You deserve to have a good life, Luke."

He was taken aback by her kind words; she was always a kidder never incredibly emotional or caring. Nerves began to build within him, it was actually true, and finally he could be free with the help of Chris.

"Here." Ada walked up to him, and slipped a small pistol into his hands, "Just in case."

She slipped away from him, and gave a smooth wink. A second later the mysterious woman had left without a trace.

* * *

"Here we are." Jake spoke, switching off the car headlights. The building looked empty, not very promising for them. There was nothing suspicious about it, just a typical clean research building. Jake handed them earpieces so they could keep in contact with him throughout.

"Be careful, guys. And no unnecessary killings, remember? Don't get your hopes up, this might not even be the right place." He said. Chris and Jill slipped silently out of the car, and looked around the deserted land. The area was pitch black, at least they had no fear of being seen.

Chris pointed to a back entrance, and received a nod from Jill. They sneaked around to the door, and Jill furiously started to pick the lock. Within seconds she heard the click, and the door was open. Fear began to rise within Chris, if this was the right place and bio-weaponry was being made, the security was far too low. He started to think this was a mistake.

Stepping into the corridor, there were no windows. But the walls were blindingly white. Again no security men, no alarm, no visible cameras. The place had little security whatsoever. It was as if whoever was working here, didn't mind outsiders seeing. But then again, the security wasn't necessary; no one had ever seen the place as a threat, the lack of security made it seem they had nothing to hide.

The two slipped through various corridors, some containing animals and pieces of laboratory equipment. Nothing out of the ordinary, after the all, the place was supposedly an animal testing centre. They hadn't a clue where they were going, but after walking through identical corridors, they stepped into a much larger room. It had the layout of a prison, at least three stories high, each floor having various uniform closed white doors. In the centre of the large room, a huge computer screen sat with various side screens. Jill jogged over to the screen and scrolled through the information, shocked by what she was reading.

"...We were right." She whispered. Chris ran to her side, and read over her shoulder. "All these people, they're being used for some sort of testing. Each one of these doors lead into cells."

She flicked the mouse down so Chris could see. Various faces popped up with some information about them, including their cell number. The sight brought back memories for Jill, it was very similar to what she and others had to go through with the testing under Wesker's control.

"Wait." Chris leaned over to read one of the names, "Steve Burnside? He's still alive?"

Jill peered at the information in disbelief. Chris had told her about the boy, even though Claire refused to speak of it.

"No." Jill pointed to the screen. "They're just using his body and remaining virus I guess... It says he's deceased."

"But it's been years."

"I don't know..."

"We better take some of the information." Chris said, pushing past her to put in a memory stick. Immediately an error popped up, and asked for certain passwords and codes. "There's the security, I guess. I knew this wouldn't be easy."

Chris continued to fiddle with the computer, attempting to find another route of taking the information. Meanwhile Jill glanced around the rooms surrounding the computer on the ground level. Each one had a digital keypad beside them, and a retina reader. There was no hope in hell of them getting into one of the cells. From the information on the computer, the majority of the people they saw were dead, very few were still living.

"Stop!" Chris turned to see a man standing before him, presumably a lab worker, holding a pistol to his face.

Jill immediately turned and retrieved her handgun to aim back at the mysterious man.

"Who are you?" He demanded to Chris, ignoring Jill's aim on him.

"We're here to find my daughter. We know what you're doing you son of a bitches. So either you play nice and help us, or my friend here will blow your brains out." Chris replied angrily.

The moment Chris had mentioned daughter, the man lowered his gun.

"Chris Redfield, I presume. Man, am I glad to see you." The scientist replied. Chris looked confused, it wasn't what he was expected. Jill was still on edge, she didn't trust him and so her gun was still firmly positioned for his head.

"What? How do you know me?"

"My name's Luke Johnson. I was told you'd be coming." Luke barged past a confused to Chris, and got to the computer. He began to furiously type, and therefore gain access into the information.

"What are you doing?" Jill demanded.

"Getting you the information you require. Now do you want to keep your voice down, please?" Luke replied, not removing his focus from the computer screen.

"Why are you doing this?" Chris asked well and truly confused.

"Because I want out of here too. We don't have much time." Luke removed the memory stick and handed it swiftly back to Chris. He continued to type quickly.

"You work here? What's going on?" Chris demanded, he needed to find out something. None of this made sense to him, he was getting help from a worker?

"Look, we'll talk about this later, you just have to trust me. Now let's get your daughter." Luke said, walking off to a nearby cell, and starting to type onto the keypad. Chris's heart nearly stopped, he had to believe he was getting his daughter back. He was overwhelmed, it didn't seem real.

Luke stepped away from the door as it opened, letting Chris have full access to the view of the room. The door opened and all Chris saw was a little girl curled up on the bed. She looked tired and upset but she looked healthy. It brought a genuine broad smile to his lips, because this wasn't any little girl, it was his little girl.

"Anna?" Chris finally breathed, it seemed for the whole time Anna was missing he had held his breath. She cocked her head up; hoping this time the voice wasn't inside her head. Seeing her pretty face, he ran up to her and enveloped her in a huge bear hug, pulling her up to a standing position. Without hesitation, Anna began to cry unto her father's shoulders, while he spoke words of comfort and gently patted her back. The sight was beautiful for Jill, a father and daughter had been reunited, she could see the strong connection they had with each other. She hadn't seen Chris's face light up so much in a very long time. Although she too was smiling, her hand still hovered over her holster. She couldn't fully trust Luke.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Chris asked desperately, patting down Anna's dark locks. She couldn't speak, just shook her head with a large smile on her face. He wiped her tears with no complaint, like any father would. Chris removed the leather jacket from his shoulders and placed it around her shoulders which were only covered by a hospital gown.

"Can we get out of here?" Anna croaked.

"Of course." Chris laughed lightly.

"We don't have much time. I'll get you all out." Luke stated, shutting the door as they left.

"And what about all these other people?" Jill asked, she couldn't just rescue Anna and forget all the other's souls.

"The information I've given you is enough, the BSAA will shut this place down. It's solid evidence. But you have to leave, it isn't safe." He demanded. He knew that Alex wouldn't take any prisoners; their main priority was to get out of there. He also knew that at the time, there were no others living. They had either been killed or infected. They had no hope left. But he'd be damned if he didn't at least save one of the people.

"Come with us, Luke."Anna said. She had no intention of leaving the one person who looked after her. Chris looked questionably over to the other man; to gain a Redfield's trust took a long time. But if his daughter trusted him, then he would have to too.

The four of them began to sprint back to exit the large room. As they slowed to the door, each noticed their footsteps weren't the only ones in the echoing room.

"Where'd you think you're going?" A voice asked, stepping into their view.

"Sherry, stop this." Luke replied, as Sherry began to raise a gun pointed towards Anna. Chris looked confused, he'd heard the name before, and from the looks of her, no doubt this was the Sherry he was thinking of. Jill immediately raised her gun to counter Sherry.

"You can't just leave. Nobody just leaves."She replied.

"You don't need Anna."

"True. Well then give me her." She demanded, pointing towards Jill. Jill furrowed her brow confused as to why she wanted her.

"What are you doing, Sherry? I'm Chris Redfield, Claire's brother. She rescued you, remember?" Chris asked, in hope he could beat sense into the young woman.

"I know who you are. And I don't care. People are pathetic. They'll never be there for me. My parents weren't there for me, and Claire and Leon left me. Alex is only one who's always been there no matter what. So I'll do anything to stop you from leaving." She threatened.

"Alex?" Chris muttered, the name sounded vaguely familiar but he hadn't a clue where from.

"You won't stop us, we're going. This is over." Luke replied calmly. He saw Sherry's hand shake ever so slightly. The girl talked big, but she was just as scared as the rest of them. He carefully placed his arm around Anna, pushing her further from Sherry, and protecting her with his body.

Luke nodded to Chris and Jill to instruct them to move carefully towards the door. The second they moved, Sherry tensed. She knew all along the research they were doing was wrong, but she was too caught up in it now. Her only hope was with Alex. So for the meantime she would do anything to help the woman she saw as a friend. Even if that meant shooting someone else.

"No!" Sherry squealed as they got closer to the exit. "We need Jill Valentine dead or alive. And Anna's seen far too much. So either hand them to me, and I'll pretend this never happened, Luke. Or I'll kill every one of you."

"Four against one, isn't looking hopeful for you, Sherry. Give up." Luke tried to compromise with her. The exit door slid open just beside them. Chris quickly pushed Jill who was next to him through the door, while Luke had distracted Sherry. All this talk of taking Jill scared him; he wouldn't let her go through what she had too previously. Jill stumbled on the other side onto her knees, but quickly rose to her feet just as the door closed behind her. She desperately tried to open it once again, as now she was raging at Chris for pushing her away. She was just as strong as him; she didn't need to be protected.

Sherry groaned in annoyance after noticing Jill had left. She had let the woman Alex required slip, because she was too scared to shoot a gun. With her gun still firmly aimed in Anna's direction, she brought her other hand to rub at the throbbing pain in her temples. She knew Alex would be so angry for letting them leave, but she wasn't a killer. She didn't know what to do.

Chris could see her beginning to break; he could tell she wasn't coping with the situation. After all, she was only a young adult. He cautiously stepped towards her, his hands in the air to show he meant peace.

"No! Don't move!" She screamed at him. Her hand was now vigorously shaking, a sweat droplet running down her forehead, sticking a lock of blonde hair to her temple.

"Come on, Sherry. We can work this ou-" Chris was too late. The room shook with the echo of a gunshot rattling through it. The once pearly white room was now splattered with red, while a continuously flowing pool of blood began to form on the tiles.

* * *

I think my next update shouldn't be too late, but after that...We'll see.

x


	9. A Place Better Than This

_**There Has to Be A Place Better than This, In Heaven**_

Title is from Thugs Mansion by Tupac Shakur. Yeah, I'm a closet Tupac lover, whatcha going to do about it, punk?

I am so sorry for the short chapter, but honestly this is the only way to get around it. I don't want to give up completely, so I'll keep attempting to update as soon as possible, but until the exams are over, the chapters will probably be short. But hey, short is better than nothing, right?

Thanks everyone for the reviews and support for the story. Again I'm sorry it's so annoyingly short. :S

* * *

The gunshot echo was soon overpowered by a blood curdling scream from the young girl. Immediately her father's protective arms were wrapped around her, holding her body tightly against his. The gun crashed on the tiles, swiftly followed by heels colliding with the floor as Sherry made her escape, a stream of tears flowing behind her.

Chris gently let go of his screaming daughter, and made his way toward the slump body on the floor. The main doors slid open, allowing Jill to see the scene which had unfolded. She quickly ran up to blood splattered Anna, and attempted to pull the girl's sight from the body in front of her.

"Go. Jill, get her out of here." Chris demanded, rolling Luke's body so he now lay on his back. Jill froze in shock at the gaping hole which had torn through the man's upper chest. She had seen it all before, but gory scenes never failed to disgust her."Now!"

Jill blinked, and swallowed away the sick which had threatened to come up. She grabbed Anna's shoulders and frantically tried to bustle her out of the room.

"No! He's got to be okay! ...No!" Anna screamed, pushing away Jill's grasp across her abdomen. "Let me go!"

Chris, ignoring the pleas of his daughter, immediately ripped the arm off his shirt, pushing it up against the wound attempting to curb the bleeding. He was always good in bad situations, he acted so fast, he wouldn't realise what he had done until after. The minute the door opened once more, Jill wrapped her arm around the younger girl's waist, and forcefully pushed the two of them through the door.

As the doors closed, Anna desperately clung unto Jill's top, tears and blood staining the top in the process. Jill didn't complain just silently stroked Anna's hair. Jill wasn't much older when she witnessed the events at the mansion, she could fully relate to what the poor girl had to just witness. Anna continued to cry, stopping only on occasion in need of a breath. She wasn't as strong as Chris and Jill; she had never seen anything like it before. What was made worse was the bullet was headed directly for her, had Luke have not protecting her, she would be in a worse state than he was now.

Jill reluctantly pushed Anna off her, and gently grasped her shoulders.

"I know it's hard... But we have to get out of here." Jill whispered carefully to Anna. She sniffed and nodded. Her hand's continued to shake vigorously, and it wasn't until she began to walk that she realised how light headed she had become. On top of that, she was overcome with sickness; slowing her pace she tried to regain her composure.

Anna reached out weakly for Jill as her world slipped into blackness.

* * *

"You should get out of here too."

Chris shot his eyes up to the source of the voice. Laying eyes upon a woman clad in a red dress, he frowned at her presence. She quickly bent down to his side, and helped to put pressure upon Luke's wounds. Chris wasn't a doctor, he hadn't a clue what he was doing, and he hadn't even checked if the man was still breathing, he just acted as he felt necessary.

While the woman held the cloth in Luke's wound, Chris began to tie loose ends of the shirt fabric around Luke's shoulder to keep it tightly in place. He occasionally shot glances to the woman next to him. He didn't recognise her, and in a place like this, he definitely didn't trust her.

"Get out of here, Chris. You're running out of time." She said, retrieving a first aid spray from the bag around her back. It wouldn't necessarily save Luke, but it would sure as hell help.

"What? ...How? ..Who are you?" Chris babbled, confused by the mysterious woman. She hushed him and brought a delicate finger to his lips.

"It doesn't matter. What does, is your daughter. You need to get out of here alive. You're wasting time." Her voice was calm, she didn't tremble or worry. She didn't fully understand why she was willing to help him so much, perhaps she was growing weak with age, or maybe her feelings for Luke were less platonic than she thought.

"But..." Chris tried to argue back. He didn't want to leave a man to die, and he wished to know who was behind this hell hole, the only name he got was Sherry's. The woman gently tapped her finger against his thin lips, silencing him once more.

"I'll look after him. Now go, before we both get caught." Chris glanced once more around him. In any other circumstance he would have stayed and fought to gain the answers he wished for. But now, he was a father, he began to realise he had responsibilities that before he never did. He couldn't leave Anna alone again.

Chris whispered thanks to the woman, she replied with a sly wink. He sprinted out of the room, following Jill's exit earlier.

Now alone, Ada began to worry. She had to try and get Luke medical attention as quickly as possible, it was a race against time. The entire time she and Chris were caring for him, she refused to look at his face. But stealing a glance now, it all became so real. He looked so empty; his glasses were thrown across the floor and his once handsome clean face was now sickly pale with occasional blood scatters over it.

She carefully brushed back his dirty blonde messy locks, playing her fingers through them. She didn't know why she felt the need to be so close to him, maybe because to get him the help he needed, she knew that would most likely result in her never seeing him again.

"You'll finally be free." Ada breathed into his ear, finishing with a light kiss on his cheek.

* * *

Standing tall in the brightly lit room, blue eyes scattered their glance to the different computer screens monitoring the every move each person took. Her eyes scrutinised the tiniest of actions from each of the figures, confused as to how they were leaving so easily. The door to the room slid open, as a teary eyed Sherry stepped through. The silhouetted woman refused to turn to her failed employee.

"They're getting away." Alex said. Her voice as calm as her demeanour. She wasn't agitated or worried, that alone put fear into Sherry's mind.

"I'm sorry...I... I tried to stop them." She blurted out nervously.

Alex merely hummed in response. She had nothing to say to the young woman. Maintaining the silence, Alex fixed a long piece of blonde hair behind her ears.

Sherry became more and more agitated. She couldn't tell if Alex was upset or angry, the woman gave nothing away. She began to nibble in the inside of her jaw. All she wished to do was to please Alex, yet it seemed she even failed at that. And now, she feared she would lose the only person she ever had.

...

"Don't you have anything to say?" Alex asked impatiently.

"No..."

"Well I'll talk then, shall I? Any particular reason why you killed one of my best scientists," Sherry gulped, she now knew Alex was pissed, "...or why Anna and her parents are leaving scot-free?"

"Jill isn't the mother. Anna doesn't have the antibodies..." Sherry whispered.

"Ah, okay... So any reason why you didn't tell me this when you first found out?" Alex asked, keeping her back to the woman. Sherry was frozen in fear; she didn't know what to say. She knew at this moment she was treading on very thin ice.

"You see, now the BSAA now about our intentions. Essentially a lot of our work is finished. Everything I've built will be gone, all because of you." Alex drawled out. In reality, Alex knew she had nothing to fear, she had done the great disappearing act so many times, this would prove no different. She could still continue on, all she needed was Jill. But for the meantime, she was having too much fun watching Sherry squirm in fear. "...Anything you want to say for yourself?"

Sherry didn't say a word, her heart was beating so loudly, she could have sworn Alex could hear it.

"My, my, Sherry, didn't you learn anything from English history?" Alex asked, patronisingly. She turned to face the younger girl. Sherry furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the sudden topic change.

"Charles the first of England? ...No?"Alex asked teasingly, pretending to prompt the little girl. Sherry quickly shook her head, staring into the bright blue eyes that were filled only with evil. "...Well he was like you. Refused to speak in trial..."

Sherry still stood dumbfounded, unsure of what the relevance was and of what exactly to say to her superior.

"And do you know what happened to him because of it?" Alex teased once more, she enjoyed the younger woman writhe beneath her words so very much. She placed her hand into the pocket of her black blazer. Sherry once again shook her head, her blues eyes now laced with worry.

Alex lowered herself to Sherry's height slowly, and approached the girl's face. A small sadistic smile forming on her thin lips sent shivers down Sherry's spine.

...

"He was executed." Alex whispered. Sherry squeezed her eyes shut, as in one fluid motion Alex brought the pistol to her head and, without a shadow of a doubt, pulled the trigger. The young woman's body fell back silently, as blood and matter had been splattered to the other side of her. Alex merely watched the lifeless body without any regret; she now had to focus on getting herself out of sight once more.

* * *

Again I'm really sorry!

Artichoke,

x


	10. Passion Overrun

_**Disaster Leaves Your Passion Overrun**_

Shessh, it's impossible to find connecting lyrics for these lil' chapters. Title is from Dawn, by Poets Of The Fall. Before people think I'm a real martyr writing during exams, I have to put it out there that my exams run for like 2 months, they aren't all congested into a day. So my feat of continuing with the writing, isn't that impressive, haha! Enjoy! XD

* * *

Jill sat silently in the dull hospital room, gazing down at the form lying on the bed beside her. Like most people, hospitals weren't her favourite place; anywhere you looked you saw only pain and suffering. Everything seemed to have happened so fast, she was surprised they got Anna back so quickly. She never expected to get out so easily, and as she was sitting, the BSAA were on the information they had gathered, most likely raiding the research facility. Things never went so smoothly, so naturally she was on edge.

Jill shot a glance to the figure stepping into the room, immediately she retracted her gaze from them and back the young girl in the bed.

"I brought you a coffee too." Chris said cautiously, handing the up towards Jill, and taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed. Jill kept her lips firmly shut, and merely nodded to him. There was no denying she was angry, events of the past couldn't be so easily forgotten.

...

"Any change?" Chris asked, resting his elbows on the edge of the bed. He couldn't remove his eyes from the young soul in front of him; he just couldn't believe he had his daughter back. He was so happy, yet it felt so surreal a smile couldn't form on his lips.

"We just got to wait for her to wake up. She's fine, Chris. Just a bit dehydrated is all." She replied to him with little emotion, clearly conveying her unhappiness to him. Although he knew he would most likely regret it, he was compelled to question what was wrong with her.

"...Are you alright?"

...

"A little bit pissed off is all." She said sharply. As if he couldn't already tell. Jill let out an exasperated sigh.

"I could have stopped this! There was no reason for Luke to get shot..." She furrowed her brows as tears began to form. She barely knew Luke, but as with any person, she was compelled to help them. And on top of that, she grabbed any opportunity she got to be angry at Chris. Not out of spite, but she was in so much suffering and confusion all caused by her problems with him. She just had to let out some of the pent up pain. "I mean, what the hell were you thinking?"

Chris looked shocked at her; he didn't know what to say. But he knew as much as her, that her angry wasn't just due to Luke's fate, so he didn't rise to her. He wouldn't shout back, because that wouldn't be what she needed. He would let her release her emotions, if that's what would help her.

"I was the only one with my gun out, for God's sake, I could have stopped her! Why did you have to push me away?" He gently shook his head feeling terrible, as water began to stream along her fine features. "So you could be some sort of hero? Is that it? You felt the need to protect the weak girl?"

Again, words failed Chris.

"I can hold my own!" She spoke the words, not to tell him, but to tell herself. Since Africa she was always seen as the victim, the woman who needed support of her friends, who couldn't hold her own. And she hated it. Yet she could see herself, she had changed. She had become less independent, even at this moment she wasn't strong enough to control the tears which flowed steadily. "I'm not weak... I don't need you!"

Chris bit his tongue and attempted to hide the cut her words had just made, hoping she would regret the words she had just spoken. And that she did, his face immediately dropped, and at that sight her face softened too. This was her main problem in arguments, she always said something she regretted, yet pride would never let her retract her hurtful words.

A small nurse poked her head in through the doorway; Jill immediately placed her face in her hands and began to frantically remove her tear stains. The young woman's face dropped when she saw Jill's state, but Chris gave her a comforting smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Johnson is awake now. I know you wanted to see him." Chris gave the nurse a smile, which she returned nervously and left the room.

"I have to go for a walk, I feel sick." Jill said stubbornly, before Chris even had the chance to talk to her. He sighed, and silently prayed at his daughter's bedside for some sort of sense in such a troublesome world.

* * *

Chris sat vigilantly by his daughter. He wanted to see Luke at some stage, but he was petrified he wouldn't be there when Anna woke, so until she did, Chris didn't move an inch. Jill had been away for quite a while now, and of course he began to worry. But he knew, sometimes space was the best thing for her. It gave her time to think, the privilege which had been taken away with the pursuit for Anna.

Although Anna was yet to wake, Chris wasn't scared. He wasn't nervous at all. Because he knew she would be okay. He had the strong feeling within him that his daughter would be fine, because although she didn't see it herself, he knew Anna was a fighter.

Chris shot his head up out of his thoughts, when the door to the hospital room was knocked. A heart warming smile came off Chris's lips as Jake walked into the room.

"Father and daughter reunited at last." He attempted to sound sentimental, as he leaned against the wall. "How is she?"

"Tired, by the looks of it." Chris replied, glancing back to his still sleeping daughter. "She'll be okay, they didn't hurt her."

A broad smile played of Jake's lips, and that was enough to make Chris follow suit.

"I've talked to the BSAA. I'll sort everything out; the most you'll get is a slap on the wrist. You focus on taking care of your daughter." Jake said sincerely. Chris nodded and thanked him. He was a good friend, yes he was a joker, but he had a heart of gold. "Do you know who took her? We've been looking at the information, and yeah it's great, it's enough. But there are no names. All we've got is Sherry and Luke Johnson."

Chris furrowed his brow and racked his brain, but came up short. He only met Sherry, Luke and Luke's mystery guardian angel.

"Alex? Someone said Alex. I don't know who he is. I got no last name, no information. But most likely he's the one behind it. You'll have to talk to Luke, and then wait till Anna wakes to talk to her."

"There's also the mystery surrounding who brought Mr Johnson in. The nurses at A&E said a woman brought him in; she gave his name and details, but refused to say anything about herself. Apparently she left in a hurry..." Jake said, surprised when a slight smile formed on Chris's lips. "Do you know who she is?"

"No. You didn't really give many details; there are quite a lot of women in the world." Chris said, receiving a scrunched up face from Jake. Chris could guess who the woman was, he didn't know her name, but no doubt that was the woman who helped them. She did as she promised, as always.

"Well, if you find out anything tell me please, because at this rate, I'll be retired before this investigation is over." Jake teased, glancing over his shoulder to see yet another person coming to visit Anna. He nodded to Chris, and left.

Jake's departure was quickly overshadowed by a high pitched, incredibly girly scream. Claire bounced into the room and threw herself around her older brother. Her actions, made it quite hard to believe she was almost thirty.

"I'm so glad both of you are okay." She squealed in Chris's ears, squeezing even tighter around his neck. "But you're such an idiot going on your own little mission."

Chris flinched as she swatted him jokily on the back of the head.

"So you don't know who's behind all this, huh?" Claire asked, removing herself from Chris's lap and onto a spare chair.

"...No." Chris paused before answering. He wasn't quite sure to tell Claire about Sherry or not, it would just bring memories he had hoped Claire had forgotten by now. At this moment in time, he didn't think it would benefit Claire at all to know the truth. So he went for the easy option, and decided not to tell her until a later date. "Whoever's been doing it has been doing it for a while."

"How do you know?"

"There were quite a few people being tested on. I have no idea how they kept it secret." Chris sighed as he saw the sadness in Claire's eyes. She was a sensitive one, he admired her for it to him it was a good trait to have, but she saw it as a burden. She always wished she could be more like Chris and Jill, they were strong able to keep it together. Whereas Claire seemed to care too much for the people sometimes, probably the reason why she joined Terra Save, it meant she could be a protector, not a fighter.

"And where are they now? Did you get them out?" Chris sighed at her words. She was so naive.

"They weren't alive, Claire. It's lucky we got Anna when we did." Chris said solemnly.

"So how do you know the research has been going on for a while, if the people weren't alive to tell you?" Claire asked innocently. Chris inwardly cursed to himself, he was hoping she wouldn't catch on or question on his previous mistake.

"Uh... Just, you can tell." He lamely babbled to her. Claire had known her brother for nearly thirty years now, she could read him like a book. He was badly attempting to hide something from her, and she wasn't going to buy it.

"Chris. You're the worst liar..." Claire tilted her head playfully, confused by his secrecy. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

Chris removed his eye contact with her, refusing to say a word.

"Come on." She giggled.

"Claire." He warned her, which quickly removed the smile on her face. He only held information from her to try to protect her, like any brother would.

"I'm not a child anymore, Chris. You don't have to baby me. Now what's going on?" Claire asked seriously, which made Chris regret not telling her in the first place.

...

"One of the people...uh..." He struggled to find the words to tell her, but she continued to stare expectantly at him waiting patiently. "There was something about Steve..."

Chris gently closed his eyes, not wanting to see the pained face of his baby sister. Claire's heart sank a little, she hadn't heard the name spoke in years. She had successfully overcome her pain of losing him, and subsequently she refused to talk about him. Perhaps it wasn't the best way, but to her it was the only way of getting over the pain and regret she felt since that day. Against her greatest efforts, tears began to form.

Chris reopened his eyes after feeling a delicate hand placed on his arm thinking it was that of his sisters. A gentle smile formed on his lips, when he saw the source of the hand wasn't hers. Even Claire raised a genuine smile as Anna began to sit upright from her slumber.

* * *

Gotta apologise for the boring chapters, but everything's a little disjointed with the shorter chapters and what not. I'm trying my upmost! Also for conformation, Alex said Luke died...I never did, so she was talking through her arse.

One more point, I'm hoping A&E is the same in America, but I have a feeling it isn't. So I don't know what the equivalent is in America, I was thinking ER, but then that means emergency room, so that didn't sound right...Cutting a very long story short, I'm British, forgive me for my not so American way of saying things.

x


	11. Nothing Seems To Turn Out Right

_**Nothing Seems To Turn Out Right**_

Title is from Let It Be Me, by Ray LaMontagne... Thank you reviewers!

* * *

A broad genuine smile grew rapidly across Chris's face. He felt an indescribable wave of joy wash over him, just the smile of his daughter was able to bring this upon him so easily. Although he knew she would be alright, he still wished to see her and talk to her. Because his love for Anna was stronger than he believed possible. That was the effect a child had on Chris Redfield's life.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay..." Anna croaked out, throat still dry. Chris squeezed her small hand lightly, and handed over the glass of water sitting on the bedside table. Claire brought her hand up to stroke her niece's hair out of her eyes. She too was amazed and overjoyed that both Anna and her brother were alright. It was just a shame she couldn't take her mind off Steve. "Is Luke okay?"

"Yeah, he woke up about an hour ago." Chris said, Anna's lips twitched into a smile. She was relieved to say the least.

"But how? Did you bring him in?"

"No, someone else must have been looking out for him." Chris replied, taking the cup from Anna and placing it back.

"I hate to bring it up so soon, Anna. But who was Alex?" Chris asked, regretting the fact he couldn't even have proper time to check his daughter over. Against his wishes, his work always came first, the BSAA needed to know who was behind this as soon as possible.

"She was the one organising it I think. I only saw her once..." Anna whispered as her father noticed new tears were close to forming.

"She?" As sexist as it may seem, Chris was shocked Alex was a woman. He always just presumed it would be a man.

"I don't know anything about her. But Luke said...She must have known Wesker or something." A tear began to trickle down her cheeks, Chris wasted no time to wipe the stray ones away. "...I'm scared."

"Why? Anna you're safe. I won't let anything happen to you again, I promise." Chris gave a comforting smile.

"He always sticks to his promises," Claire piped up, attempting to lighten the mood.

"You're not safe. Luke said she wanted to kill you. You have to be careful dad, please." Anna whimpered, while Chris rubbed her arms caringly.

"Anna, it'll be okay. I'll be fine; I can hold my own you know." Chris chuckled. "We'll catch her, we'll get the people who did this to you."

Anna nodded reluctantly, fear still overcoming her. Chris could gather who this Alex woman was, it all made sense. He had just never saw it coming before, he never expected her to be female. In fact, remembering the notes in the Spencer Estate, it never even dawned on him Alex could be still alive. He knew mentioning to Anna that Alex was a Wesker sibling would just scare her even more. In order to protect his daughter, Chris sealed his lips and wondered what Alex's intentions truly were.

"Chris I'm just going to go out for a minute, okay?" Claire said to Chris. He could see she was still recovering from the news he had delivered. But now wasn't the time for him to elaborate on what his words meant, Claire knew this. Besides Chris knew very little about Steve, the research facility told him little.

"Alright." Claire stood and turned for the door, "Claire. I don't know much. If you want more information, I suggest you visit a man called Luke Johnson. He was a lab worker at the facility."

Claire attempted to raise a smile and left Chris to watch over his daughter.

* * *

After a couple of minutes of arguing with nurses and misplaced rooms, Claire was finally directed to Mr Johnson's room. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go in. Firstly, the man had just been shot; she wasn't sure how he would react to a stranger walking in. And secondly, if he gave her the information on Steve she wished for, she didn't know how she would take it. After years of wondering, years of uncertainty, it seemed now she could get her answers.

Claire took a deep breath, and brushed a strand piece of auburn hair back into the pony tail. After knocking gently, she cautiously opened the door.

"Hi, I'm really sorry to interrupt, I'm Chris Redfield's sister. My name's Claire." Claire said awkwardly. She walked to the bed, raised her hand, but after noticing his arm and shoulder was bandaged in a sling, quickly retracted the hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Claire. I'm Luke." He flashed a toothy grin. Through the years of hell he had to endure, and even though his arm was throbbing with pain, he was happy. He was finally free. "Please, take a seat...How is Anna?"

"She's awake. She was asking after you." Claire said, sitting rigidly on the chair next to his bed.

"She's a good kid, I'm glad she's alright." Claire smiled slightly at his accent, she always hated to admit it, but she was one of the many woman attracted to uncommon accents.

"You're not from these parts, are you?" She asked jokily.

"Edinburgh born and raised." Luke smiled, which she returned readily. "...So what are you here for Claire? Pretty woman don't just come and visit me for no reason you know."

A small blush spread over Claire's face, against her wishes. She didn't want to blush; she didn't want to give him any satisfaction from his cheesy comment. But she couldn't help it. To her, he was attractive. He had the geeky look to him, the look she hated to love.

"I don't know. Apparently there was information on a boy that I knew. Chris said you might know something," Claire's smile faded, as her tone became more serious as she talked about Steve. "I'm sorry for pestering you. I mean you don't even know me... I just really need to know."

"It's okay..." Luke's face softened as he saw her pained expression. It was a change from the semi confident woman who walked in a few minutes ago, she now looked on the verge of tears. "Who is it?"

"Steve Burnside." Luke nodded. It made sense, from what he knew he was a couple of years older than Steve, and Claire looked as though she was in that age range too.

"I never saw him. But from what I've been told, he was always deceased." Luke's words confirmed what Claire already knew. "I'm sorry."

Claire nodded confidently, but her blue azures began to overfill with water. She knew deep in her heart Steve wouldn't be alive. She saw it with her own eyes, but after all, Chris saw Jill 'die' before him. And three years later they were reunited. It had always put false hope into the young Redfield's heart. Never did she know Steve's true fate until now. Although her heart ached with the truth she knew all along, maybe now she could finally move on.

"His body was kept; they've been using it for tests to modify the viruses. But there was no need for him to be alive." Luke continued.

"But it's been years..." Claire sniffed. What upset her more was he couldn't have peace. It angered her to know his body hadn't even had the burial he deserved after all this time.

"It takes years to make successful viruses." Claire sobbed, her quiet tears now becoming louder against her will. Luke gave her a comforting look. He didn't know her or Steve, but he could see how utterly devastated the poor woman was. "I am so sorry. I don't know any more..."

Claire nodded and wiped under her eyes to remove traces of tears. She let out a humourless laugh, embarrassed by her tears in front of a man she didn't know. She found it difficult to fully understand where her tears were coming from. It had been over ten years, but it seemed she just couldn't forgive herself for Steve's death. It wasn't so much tears of sadness, but tears of comfort and of peace, she was happy all the doubts over him had now been removed.

"Thank you, Luke. I needed to know."

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you."

"It's okay. You must have gone through a lot too." Claire asked, her voice riddling with concern.

"I was working for Alex for a long time, yeah. It isn't the highlight of my career. But the world's a dangerous place, we've all seen things we wish we hadn't, right?" Luke replied.

"Yeah, unfortunately..." She trailed off, not wishing to even think about Raccoon again. "I should get going, it was a pleasure to meet you, Luke."

"Are you sure you're alright? You need to talk about it, don't bottle your hurt up." Luke said seriously. If it was any other stranger, Claire would feel awkward having such a serious conversation, but it was just so easy to talk to Luke. She didn't believe in love at first sight, thought it was a pile of bull in fact, but she couldn't deny she felt attracted to him. She thought that maybe with time, she could finally get the break she was looking for. After all, love wasn't a friend of Claire Redfield's. As always, Claire's immature hopes were shattered when she noticed the very obvious wedding ring firmly on his finger. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love..."

Love? It wasn't love between Claire and Steve, it couldn't have been. She knew him for a mere couple of days. Love couldn't have been part of it. This realisation made Claire feel even more aggravated at herself, she had been so strung up for years, it stopped her from finding the true love she deserved.

Claire gave him a smile and the two continued to converse with one another.

* * *

Of course, Anna could go home by now. Chris had given her the clothes he brought for her, and while he waited for her to get her stuff together, he headed off to the bathroom. Chris inwardly cursed when he got to the bathroom, realising there was only one at this end of the ward. And by the looks of it, it was occupied.

He sighed, and leaned against the wall. He hadn't seen Jill since she wandered off, of course he was concerned. But he knew she would just get even angrier if he came for her again. Maybe his protectiveness over people was a curse. But then again, Jill left due to him neglecting her. All he knew, was he could never win. And for him, things went from perfect to God-awful so quickly with Jill, he found it hard to understand. As much as it broke his heart, each day he began to believe more and more that perhaps they just weren't meant to be.

After a couple of minutes, he moved closer to the door. Chris's stomach turned slightly, as he could hear someone be obviously pretty violently sick on the other side of the door. Chris glanced around him, unsure of what to do. But it was a hospital; he couldn't leave whoever was in there.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked through the door, knocking upon it as he did so.

...

"...Chris?" The lock of the door clicked. He recognised that voice.

"Jill? Jill, are you alright?" She opened the door so the two could see each other. She thought the sickness had ended now, so began to clean out her mouth at the tap, trying her best to remove the sour taste.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks. I probably shouldn't have eaten so soon after the mission. You know I don't have the strongest stomach." She joked lightly.

"Well, we're going home. Anna included. Are you going to come with us?" Chris asked. Her words still stung him. And by the looks of it, pride wouldn't let her apologise. On top of that, he didn't know if she was still angry with him.

"Yeah, please." Well at least she was taking civilly to him. She scooped up her tangled hair into a loose pony tail. She still looked pretty rough; nothing a good sleep couldn't help.

"I'll drop you off at Rebecca's?" He wasn't fully sure where Jill was staying now, all he knew was she wasn't where she belonged, with him.

"Carlos's actually. He said he wanted to meet up..." Chris's face turned into a scowl. There was no denying; Chris was growing to despise Carlos. Since he arrived, things had gone from bad to worse with him and Jill. Undoubtedly, Carlos would still be the reason behind the animosity between the two lovers.

* * *

Again, pretty boring chapter and it probably isn't going to change any time soon. My apologies. I warn you, things aren't going to get much better between Chris and Jill anytime soon... And Alex is still floating around somewhere, don't you worry.

Artichoke,

x


	12. I Can't Change the Way I Feel

_**I Can't Undo The Times We Disagreed, But I Can't Ignore The Way I feel**_

Bloody long title, but I wanted to shove it all in. It's from the song King Of Fools, by Poets Of The Fall, and honestly the whole song basically sums up Chris and Jill's feelings. It's a lovely song anyway, and POTF are terribly underrated.

Got to put it out there, I apologise if any characters are OOC, especially Claire, because well I don't really know that much about her personality. I've tried my best! Anyway, enjoy! And thanks reviewers!

* * *

After a couple of weeks, things seemed to go back to the way they were. Anna had recovered and settled back into her life, Luke was well on the road to recovery and Chris was just ecstatic to have his precious daughter back. The only thing missing in the equation was Jill, he hadn't spoken much to her, nor seen her. To some extent Jill's absence gave Chris the chance to focus on the other important aspects of his life, Claire and Anna. But he knew as much as everyone else, he could never let go Jill completely. No matter what he would be compelled back to the one his heart desired.

"I called you here, cause well... We're pretty stuck." Jake's voice snapped Chris out of his thoughts and back to the conversation the two were in. Chris fiddled and sat himself straighter in the office chair, attempting to focus more on the problem at hand.

"Well how did the raid of the facility go? Didn't you get information there?" Chris asked. He had still taken a few days off just to stick with his family, what he deemed the most important thing in his life now. But he was still just as interested in the case.

"No. Chris, it was a ghost town. There was very little information on anything, the few people found were dead, and this Alex woman...According to the information we got, she doesn't exist. There's nothing on her. Now that's not to say I don't believe you. Someone left in a hurry alright, but we just don't have enough information. We'll try our best to get her."

"...She is a Wesker after all. She's going to know how to keep her head low." Chris replied. His heart sunk. He knew this wouldn't be easy, but he was resting his hopes on the facility to gain more information on the mystery Alex.

"True. We'll do as much as we can, this is a serious case. Another Wesker poses a real threat to humanity. I'll keep you updated." Jake spoke rising from his chair to grab the coffee on his work table. Chris nodded and was about to speak until his mobile vibrated strongly in his jean pocket. He retrieved the phone and glanced to the message. His heart stopped when he saw the name was Jill. He hadn't heard from her in a long time, and rarely did she initiate the small conversations they had.

"I have to go, Jake. Thanks for everything. Don't be a stranger." Chris made the decision to leave Jake, he couldn't throw away Jill's proposition of meeting up. Stepping out of the office, fear began to boil within him. He couldn't tell if she was meeting up to make amends or to give the final ultimatum to him.

* * *

Claire shoved the door open with her feet, attempting to keep the two coffee cups in her hand steady, all the while balancing a bunch of flowers under her arm. May have been a little extravagant for a man she only knew for two weeks, but she felt it necessary. From what she had seen no one else had really come to visit Luke. She was shocked to find Luke standing over the hospital bed, packing various items into his bag.

"Hi." Luke jumped slightly, turning around to face her. A smile played on his lips as he saw the flustered woman attempting to find somewhere to plant her stuff. "Are you going to just stand there smiling like a goof ball, or are you going to help me?"

Luke chuckled and lifted the cups from her delicate hands, making room on the table to set them down. Claire plucked the flowers from under her arm and handed them to a Luke, a smile now forming on her lips.

"How've you been?"

"Better thank you. I get to go leave finally." Luke replied. Claire could see he had recovered, he seemed more content, though his arm and shoulder was still firmly bandaged in a sling.

"Where will you stay?" She asked, concerned for the obviously non native man.

"I've booked into a hotel for a while. And then who knows. I don't have any stuff. I've been presumed dead for a good few years, and I'm not even from these parts anyway." Honestly, Luke hadn't a clue what to do. He had no one to turn too.

"Don't you have any family?" She asked. Luke sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I doubt it anymore. I probably have some strange distant relatives back in Scotland, but who knows." Too much time had been wasted. Luke was an only child, and by now his parents would have died by natural causes most likely. He always had a small family anyway.

"...You don't have a partner?" Claire asked, she hadn't forgotten the wedding ring on his finger. As she spoke, she regretted asking. It was a little personal to ask someone she hardly knew, and immediately his face darkened which made her feel even worse.

"No."

Luke obviously didn't wish to talk about it; his tone was enough to convey this.

"I might end up moving back to Scotland. But I'll have to set up camp here for a while, until this investigation is over." Luke said, quickly changing the subject.

"How long do you think it'll be?" She asked, setting herself next to him on the edge of the not so comfortable bed.

"Honestly, I don't know. I feel so useless I don't know anything."

"Didn't they find other workers with the raid?" Claire reached over and sipped some of her coffee to occupy her hands.

"It was a small amount of people working there. The BSAA told me the other scientist who I worked with was found dead in the facility." He said. Claire's face softened and a slight frown began to form on her thin lips.

"I'm sorry, Luke. Nothing seems to be going right for you." She replied, patting him lightly on his good shoulder.

"Don't be. Sherry was a real bitch anyway... She was the one who shot me, she got her comeuppance."

"...Sherry?" Claire frowned, it couldn't be the same Sherry she was thinking of. It just couldn't be.

"Sherry Birkin. A very talented scientist..." All the nightmares Claire had attempted to forget had came up all at the same time. First the memories of Steve, and now she had to relieve the consequences of Raccoon. It seemed her nightmares would always haunt her.

Claire's eyes began to water again. She was disgusted to think she had forgotten about the young girl.

"Claire? What is it?" Luke asked concerned. He thought he had said something to upset her, he didn't understand.

"My friend and I, we helped her in the Raccoon incident. I just...everything happened so fast, I just forgot about her. I always just thought she would have been okay." Claire wiped away the tears. She wouldn't cry this time. Her tears never helped anyone, she had to try to be strong. "This is my fault."

"Don't be ridiculous. I think what she saw in Raccoon just changed her. As it would any person. It changed you for the better, and unfortunately her for the worst." Luke spoke nothing but the truth. Sherry's end and change wasn't due to Claire. Life is made of choices, and after Raccoon, Sherry made the wrong ones.

Claire just nodded solemnly; it was hard to believe that once little innocent girl was now dead. Bad news always seemed to happen all at once. Luke reached his free arm around and gave a soothing pat on her back. It was a small gesture, but it didn't go unappreciated. She flopped her head against his shoulder in defeat and sighed. After a few seconds of recollecting her thoughts, she brought herself back up.

"We should get going. I want to leave this hospital as soon as." Luke said, stepping carefully off the bed.

"I'll drive you home." Claire said, sadness still evident in her voice. He gave her a comforting smile, which she tried her upmost to return.

* * *

Chris parked outside Rebecca's small semidetached. He didn't spot her car, so presumably Jill had picked this time to meet up so the two could be undisturbed. He knocked nervously on the door. It felt like it was his first date again, for the first time he was awkward among Jill's presence.

"Hey. I'm happy you came, Chris." Jill opened the door wide and led him into Rebecca's cosy living room. He sat stiffly on the sofa.

"I'm glad you decided to call me." She gave him a small smile, one he hadn't seen in a long time so he cherished it. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"...What do you think?" Jill let out an awkward chuckle, sitting down next to him. "I just...I want to know what's happening between us, Chris? What are we? Are we friends...What?"

"I don't know, Jill. But you know what I want, what I've always wanted." His heart filled with sadness as he looked into the eyes he had loved for so long.

"I know...I don't understand. I'm so confused." Tears began to well, as she attempted to maintain her composure. "Things have been so messed up. And I wasn't happy, and you still have made me angry...I just think if we were meant to be together it wouldn't be as difficult as this..."

Chris understood where she was coming from, he asked himself the same thing on many of occasions. But he was a sucker for love. He never thought it would be easy anyway, but in his eyes love could prevail over all in the end anyway. Jill had a more realistic view.

"Do you love me?" He asked. His question threw her off slightly, she wasn't expecting it. And it seemed like a life time since she had actually professed her love.

"..Yes." Jill whispered. Perhaps there was still hope for them. "But with everything that has happened, I'm finding it harder and harder to love you like I once did..."

"I understand that." Chris closed his eyes gently, it was hard to hear, but it was the way it was. He couldn't force her to love him. "But I don't want to be with anyone else, Jill... Isn't that enough?"

"That doesn't erase the times we've argued..."

"But if we love each other. Can't we get past it?" Chris argued back to her. He wasn't willing to let her go easily.

Jill sighed; honestly she didn't know if love was enough. She was scared of going back to the way things were, she needed to be sure Chris wouldn't repeat his previous actions of denying her. And with the way he had changed, she just needed some conformation the man she fell in love with was still there somewhere.

"Jill. I haven't even looked at another woman, whether we've been together or not." Rarely did Chris open up his heart to her, but when he did, it always had the same affect on her; Jill's eyes began to fill again. He spoke only the truth. Even through the months of pain the two had, and being separated, he had never taken solace in another woman's arms. And he believed if Jill was the same, their relationship was definitely worth fighting for. "Tell me you're the same? Because then, Jill, we're definitely meant to be... But I have to know."

...

"Chris..." Jill spoke in a low voice, as a few tears fell down her delicate cheeks. It touched her heart to know he was faithful even in separation. Especially when a man like Chris could get anyone he wanted. But that made her feel even worse... Her aversion of the question hadn't gone unnoticed by Chris. He knew her all too well, she was hiding something. Perhaps her tears weren't only of pain for Chris, but maybe they were more tears of guilt.

"Jill?" Chris asked, as she removed her eye contact with him. Anger and pain began to boil within him, but he remained as calm as he could. But he could see right through her. "Tell me there isn't someone else?"

...

"There isn't anyone else." Jill replied nervously, at his demanding question.

"You're lying." Chris scoffed. He couldn't believe he had poured his heart of for her, and she wouldn't even be honest to him.

"Chris." She warned him. She didn't like his sudden change in attitude, and she was making sure he knew this.

"Jill why won't you just tell me? What are you hiding?" Chris demanded, she just rolled her eyes annoyed at his anger. "...Is it Carlos?"

"No. He has a girlfriend, Chris."Jill spat back at him. She knew it would come back to her friendship with Carlos, it always did. Chris Redfield was a jealous man. And Jill was telling the truth, Carlos had told her he had met someone. And from the details he gave, it was moving quickly. Jill couldn't explain the feeling she got when he told her, it wasn't jealously, but she definitely felt something she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Did anything happen between you two?" He asked, still annoyed at her reluctance to answer him. Chris just wouldn't let it go. Jill sighed, as more and more tears fell. She was unable to lie to him.

...

"He kissed me." Jill whispered quickly, ashamed at herself. "But it didn't mean anything."

Regardless of if it mattered or not, Chris was hurt. She had always denied anything between them, and she was lying. He didn't know what to do; all faith had been ripped out of him.

"When?" He locked solid eye contact with her, he needed to know she wasn't going to lie again.

"A while back. It was after I left."

Chris nodded. He didn't need to know anything else, and he certainty didn't want to hear anything else. He had heard enough. He loved her unconditionally; his faith may have wavered at times, but never did his love for her falter. And he knew it was true love, because he had never strayed. This knowledge led him to believe what she felt for him wasn't true love. And he believed, in that case, they just weren't worth fighting for anymore.

* * *

Oh! Told you it wasn't to get nice. Well I had to have Chris find out about their kiss at some stage, just to show things come back to haunt you. Plus it seems Jill has been seen like the victim throughout, when it actual fact she hasn't been as sweet as she could have been either.

Artichoke,

x


	13. Wrong Kind Of Place

_**It's The Wrong Kind Of Place To Be Cheating On You**_

Title is from 9 Crimes by Damien Rice, gotta love Damien Rice the big ragin' Irishman!

I must warn you, there's a couple of swear words in here. Sorry. Also, again, thanks reviewers! Also thank you anonymous reviewer, since I can't thank you are so sweet! XD Also, last thank you goes to Angelica Burrows. She helped with this storyline a while back, and she deserves the thanks...Enjoy.

* * *

"Three eights. I win again!" Anna exclaimed, pulling the large pile of chips towards her from the centre of the table.

"...Remind me again, why are we playing this?" Chris asked, a frown plastered on his face.

"Because what is better than spending your Saturday night getting your arse kicked by a teenager at poker?" Luke replied as he began to deal out the next set of cards.

This was Claire's idea of fun. Claire being Claire pushed the information out of Chris. And knowing what happened with him and Jill, she wanted to keep him out of the house as much as possible. Apparently the only thing she could think of was poker night.

To Chris he was fighting the unwinnable war, and he was tired of it. It was now up to Jill to fight for them, because he was finished. He hadn't heard anything in a couple of weeks, and so each day his love began to fade a little bit more.

Anna's smile dissolved away whenever she looked to her father. She could see the pain he was putting himself through, and it did nothing but sadden her. She was incapable of helping him, and she knew that all too well. Obviously Claire's idea of keeping everyone happy wasn't going quite to plan.

...

"Chris can you help me get some drinks, please?" Claire asked, moving Chris toward the kitchen, so they were now out of ear shot from the other two.

"Did you really need help to get a total of four drinks?" He asked, more demandingly than he had intended to sound. He reached into the cupboard and retrieved the glasses.

"I'm sorry about tonight, Chris. I just wanted to try to cheer you up... It obviously hasn't worked." Claire sighed, and leaned against the kitchen work table. No denying it, Claire hated to see her older brother like this. It was made worse that she was unable to help. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about." He refused to turn to her and busied himself pouring various drinks.

"Come on, Chris. It's upsetting you...Have you talked to her?"

"No. She hasn't talked to me."

"It's a two way thing..." Claire attempted to argue back to him. "You've loved her for so long, Chris... You weren't together. Can't you just forgive her?"

"It's not that easy..." She didn't seem to comprehend how much the kiss really affected him. It hurt him more than he would ever have imagined. And he was unsure why, it was only a kiss. "You don't understand, Claire. You've never been in love!"

Claire was taken aback by his words. Even he regretted saying it when he saw the cut his words had afflicted upon her. She didn't need to be told her relationships weren't the best. It angered her that Chris seemed to take his for granted.

...

Luke had attempted distract Anna from the soon to be argument that was starting in the kitchen by continuing to babble to her. But he could only do so much. Chris and Claire's voices began to rise, and undoubtedly a shouting match was about to begin. The only thing worse than an angry Redfield, was two angry Redfield's.

Anna screwed up her face. She hated to hear anyone fighting, especially when it was two people who love each other. Luke could see her becoming uneasy, he thought maybe now would be a good time for her to leave.

"Anna, do you want me to take you home?" He asked. She nodded reluctantly, and grabbed her green coat of the banister.

Luke shouted into the kitchen that he was leaving Anna home, but he doubted if the two heard...Or if they even cared.

...

"I can't believe you would say that to me? You don't know the first thing about my love life!" Claire retaliated to him. She had become fed up with his negativity, plus it had been a good while since a sibling argument.

"Well you obviously don't understand what I'm going through at the moment." Chris shouted back to her.

"Oh what you're going through? Poor Chris, always the victim. You don't think the rest of us have our own shit to deal with?" Truth be told, Claire hadn't fully got over the revelations about Steve and Sherry. She felt guilty every minute of every day. Chris just didn't seem to understand that. "You didn't even tell me about Sherry!"

Claire threw a punch into his chest in attempt to relieve her anger. It wasn't her full weight and Chris knew this. It barely even hurt him anyway. Her words were much more painful than any hit she could give to him.

"You're so selfish sometimes! I mean don't you think Jill's hurting too?" Claire wasn't finished with him yet. He started the argument, but she be damned if she didn't finish it. "You sent her away in the first place. Make up your mind, do you want her or not?"

"Don't talk about stuff you know absolutely nothing about." Chris warned her.

"I know enough to realise you can be a real dick at times!"

Chris clenched his fists. There was no point continuing on with the argument, he would only get angrier. He made his way out of the kitchen and towards the door, ignoring Claire's words.

"Chris wait, let me take you home at least." Claire softened a bit, although she was still angry. But the thing with sibling fights was they were easily forgiven. He was family, and he still meant everything to her.

"Fuck off, Claire." Chris muttered under his breath, opening the door.

"Don't be stupid, Chris. You've been drinking, you can't drive." Claire's reply to her words was the harsh slam of the front door.

As with most people, Claire's anger quickly transformed into sadness. The fight was unnecessary and really just an excuse for both of them to let off pent up fury, they both knew this. But as always she regretted her words, and began to worry about him.

...

After an hour the door to Leon's house opened. Claire prayed that her brother would have come to his senses and returned. Instead Luke walked through the door, back from leaving Anna off. Claire stood weakly and gave a light smile. Her tear stained face didn't go unnoticed by Luke.

"Ended badly, huh?" He asked gently. She just sobbed slightly and fell defeated into his chest. Strange to think he was the only person she had these days. Leon seemed preoccupied, and Chris had his own problems to deal with. It seemed Claire had begun to depend more and more upon Luke.

He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her small waist. The two never showed signs of intimacy and he didn't know where their limits lay. Claire didn't protest, she found the comfort she needed within his arms. His shirt began to get damper as Claire cried for the loss of Steve and Sherry, and for the pain of her brother.

After a while, she pulled away from Luke's embrace.

"I have to check if Chris is okay. I'm worried about him. I tried his mobile, he won't pick up." Claire's voice conveyed the worry she felt. "Will you try ringing his house and I'll try Jill or something. He's fragile at the moment; I don't want him to do something he'll regret."

Luke nodded and retrieved his phone to call.

* * *

Jill began to splash water onto her face, being sick wasn't fun. At least Rebecca was out of the house, so she couldn't fuss over her. Carlos said he was coming over to spend time with her later. The feelings were platonic; after all he had got a girlfriend. Unfortunately her breakup had meant, even if the friends wouldn't admit it, they had to choose a side. They couldn't spend time altogether anymore. And Claire had obviously had to choose the side of her brother and spend more time with him. Rebecca vowed to remain neutral like Switzerland as she put it. But Carlos was the only one who was there for Jill. He was the only one she could talk to these days.

She looked to her phone sitting on the edge of the sink. The amount of times she contemplated calling Chris was unbelievable. But every time she was close to it, her head gave another reason not to. Either he didn't deserve to hear her apology, or she convinced herself he would have moved on by now. Ultimately she was too scared too. But she knew she would have to face her fears eventually.

Jill's phone began to vibrate, and in a crazy notion she thought it might have been Chris. She was right that it was a Redfield, just not the one she longed to talk to.

"Hey Claire. Is everything okay?" Jill answered the phone, and walked out of the bathroom and into the back bedroom of the house.

"_Yeah sort of. Please tell me Chris is with you..."_

"No, I haven't talked to him in a while. I'm sorry... What's happened?" Jill asked concerned. She could hear the worry in the young girl's voice.

"_We got in a fight, I'm just worried about him. I've tried to contact him, but he won't pick up. He's in a bad state..." _

"Relax, Claire. He probably just needs time to cool." Jill knew first hand Chris's anger. And she knew sometimes the best thing for him was just to have time to calm by himself.

"_Well can you try and call him, please? Just to make sure he's okay."_

"Alright. Don't worry." Jill said lightly and ended the call. She walked back towards the bathroom, but began to worry when the door wasn't quite as she left it. She slowly pushed it open, fists at the ready. She screamed when she saw a male figure using the standing to the toilet, immediately they screamed too.

"Carlos? What the hell?" She squealed at him, as her heart began to die down back to normal speed. He turned his head and gave a cheeky smile, and finished off his business.

"I was dying for the toilet, chica. Jeez, you didn't answer the door, so I thought I'd just let myself in." He laughed, pulling up the zip of his jeans.

"And you couldn't have closed the door?" Jill demanded. She let out a light laugh. She was surprised how jumpy she got. But then again she didn't think she'd come upon someone using her bathroom.

Carlos just gave a coy wink, as he began to wash his hands at the sink. His smile began to fade as he caught sight of a certain distinctive object resting against the tap.

"...What is this, Jill?" His voice took a serious note as he lifted the object from the base, and held it before her.

"Carlos!" She shrieked and grabbed the item of him, as red began to form on her cheeks.

"Is it yours? ...I mean it is what I think it is, isn't it?" The seriousness of his voice made her on edge more than anything.

"Carlos, with all due respect, it's none of your business." Jill argued back to him, attempting to fight the tears which were soon to form.

...

"...Tell me you aren't pregnant Jill." Her barrier broke and the tears flooded out.

"I wish I could. But this is the fourth one I've taken..." She sobbed. He tugged her into an embrace, he was upset for her. Jill had been holding the truth off for as long as she could. The fear began to rise with the sickness, she knew something wasn't right.

"Have you told Chris?" Carlos asked gently. She shook her head and continued to cry onto his shoulder.

"I'm so scared. We thought we couldn't have kids, and wouldn't you know it happens at the worst time possible."

"That's life for you, honey...You have to tell him. He has a right to know." Carlos may not have been best buddies with Chris, but a child was a serious thing. The man deserved to know the truth.

"I know. I will..." She grabbed some tissue to mop up her tears. "But I don't know how he'll take it. I mean how would you feel if your girlfriend just announced to you she was pregnant? Especially at a time like this..."

"Well considering we've only been going out for a couple of months. I wouldn't be completely overjoyed. But nevertheless I would want to know."

"I just have to get my head straight and face my fears. Then I'll tell him." Jill sighed, she had never been so nervous in her whole life. She never wanted to raise a child in a broken relationship, that realisation hurt her more than anything. Besides Chris hadn't forgiven her for the kiss, her revelation could just be the final straw for him.

* * *

_"Chris it's me. I know we haven't been on the best of terms. But will you please at least contact Claire. Tell her you're okay. She's really worried about you, Chris..."_

Chris ended the voicemail from Jill, and turned his phone off. The extra alcohol in his system most likely didn't help, but he was getting pretty fed up with various call and texts.

As always, in case of emergency, Chris drowned himself in a pint of beer. It never helped anyone, he knew that. But for the couple of hours or so that he wouldn't remember the previous events, he thought it was worth it. He could feel himself slipping away from being tipsy, and closer to complete drunkenness. And yet he still didn't feel much better.

The barman came towards Chris and set another pint down before him on the bench.

"Whoa buddy. I didn't order this, I was about to leave..." Chris said, attempting to curb the slight slur of his words.

"No. She did." The barman pointed to a seductively posed woman, looking almost hungrily towards Chris. She elegantly removed herself from her stool, adjusted her skirt to maintain her decency and sat next to Chris in a stool.

"Well well, Chris Redfield. This is an original place for you to be." She teased, darting a pink tongue along her dark lips.

"Sophia. I never thought I'd see that face again." He squinted at her. She was just as beautiful as she'd always been; long shiny jet black hair, and beautiful dark brown skin. Shame her personality couldn't match her looks.

The two met in a similar circumstance around a year after Jill's supposed death. They had attempted to have a brief relationship, but even though he and Jill weren't in a relationship at that stage, Jill still had hold over his heart. His body would have loved to be with Sophia when he had the chance, but his heart always stopped him. Because he knew Sophia could never take the place of Jill Valentine.

"What are you pining about? From what I heard you got the woman you wanted." Sophia joked with him. She had heard on the news about Jill's rescue. She was happy for him, after all she had moved on herself.

"Yeah." He replied. He didn't want to talk anymore; in fact he was beginning to feel pretty drowsy.

"Whatever. Let's have fun..." She called over the barman and ordered a series of shots for them, a coy smile forming on her lips. She was just as devilish as she'd always been.

As the night went on, so did the shots. All the events causing Chris's pain began to dissolve further away as he lost more and more of control over himself.

* * *

Sorry for the delay.. :/

Artichoke,

x


	14. Forgive Me I'm Ashamed

_**Forgive Me I'm Ashamed, I've Loved Another**_

Title is from Forgiven by Skillet, it was the only appropriate lyric I could find... I'm very very sorry for the delay, but you know how it is... Thank you reviewers! Also thank you Jane, I can't thank you personally for the review, but you're sweet too! ...I'm such an arse licker. XD

* * *

Chris gently opened his eyes, squinting at the morning sun which beamed through the curtains. Immediately his hands went up to his face, attempting to shelter his eyes from the light, and rub the shooting pain in his head away. He was still exhausted and remembered little of the previous night, all he knew was he got pissed out of his mind. As always, he regretted it. It was a big mistake. Already he could tell it was going to be a bad day.

Glancing over his shoulder, it looked like it was going to turn into an even worse one. He let a scream as his eyes focused on another figure next to him. Suddenly his tiredness had disappeared as he shot up like lightening out of the bed, stumbling backwards as he did so.

The figure let out an exasperated grunt, and groggily lifted their head up to see the cause of their awakening. Chris's heart stopped. He stared blankly at the figure, his eyes and jaw wide with fear.

"Sophia? What are you doing here?" He demanded. It came back to him that he had taken a couple of drinks with her, but surely nothing more happened. He wouldn't do that to Jill, whether they were together or not. Surprisingly, the one thing Chris believed in most was faithfulness. He would never go after another woman, even if his body might have told him to do otherwise. But Sophia was in his bed... It looked like he had become the man he dreaded to be.

"Oh my God. What have I done?" He whispered his fears, as his voice shook slighty. His ran his trembling fingers through the messy tresses of hair, as he stepped further from her. He breathed a slight sigh of relief when she sat up still clothed. Immediately, he did the obvious, and checked himself... At least he still had boxers on.

"Please tell me we didn't have sex?"

Sophia let out a humourless laugh, and sat with her legs crossed on his bed.

"I don't know Chris, I can't remember much either... We were pretty drunk." A small smile formed on her lips.

"Tell me, how is this funny?" He demanded, not amused by her casual attitude to the whole situation.

"Calm down Chris... What? Worried I took your virginity?" She chuckled lightly.

"What? ...I'm not a virgin." He said perplexed by her comment.

"Oh come on virgin boy, I thought that was the reason you didn't sleep with me when we were together." She replied, cocky her head playfully to the side.

"No the reason I didn't..." Chris shook his head slighty, he was wasting time playing along with her. "Whatever. Look we have to find out if we slept together...Look for a condom or something."

He frantically searched around the room, while Sophia looked on confused. He was clearly very worried, but as she watched she couldn't help but let out loud giggle. It stopped him in his tracks, and he shot a death glare to her.

"Yeah, cause the first thing going through two drunken horny people is: let's be safe." She said sarcastically. He hung his head in his hands, leaning against the wall of the room.

...

"This isn't funny, Sophia. This is serious. I have to know..." His pleaded with her. The guilt was tearing him apart, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"You're never going to know Chris. Even if we did, it doesn't matter. You said you weren't really with that woman anymore anyway..." She obviously remembered slightly more of their conversations than he did.

"But you have a boyfriend. This is wrong." He argued back to her, it looked like she didn't have the same morals he did. But really, she knew as much as he, if they did sleep together it was a big mistake. She just masked her fear with attempted humour.

"I'll explain what happened to Carlos, and I'm sure we can get past it. We're not really that serious, or strictly exclusive yet..."

"Carlos?" Chris cut her sentence. It couldn't possibly be the same Carlos, he prayed it was just a coincidence.

"...Carlos Oliveira. Yeah I met him a couple of months ago. Hit it off, had great sex... And here we are now." She replied. She made it seem it wasn't that serious, but in reality she was growing to really like Carlos. Even though it went against all her rules on relationships. She was just as scared as Chris.

"Oh God... It just gets worse." Chris closed his eyes, he wished he could just wake up and forget any of this ever happened. He rubbed against the temples of his forehead. "I can't believe this..."

...

"We all make mistakes, Chris..."

"But not like this..." Unusual for him, tears began to prick the corners of his eyes, as he slide further down the wall. "...God. She's never going to forgive this..."

To think Chris found it difficult to forgive one kiss, and look what he had done now. He never thought he would be the one to finally destroy his relationship with Jill. But he knew, if this was true, it would be near impossible for them to overcome.

The door to his bedroom was knocked and swiftly swung open. Sophia hid slightly under the duvet, and Chris quickly brought himself up from the floor. The woman's soft face before him quickly turned sour as she glanced around his room. Her eyes were open with disbelief, and quickly became shadowed with anger. She brought her hand up and swung as hard as possible against Chris's face. He winced but didn't cry out; after all he might have deserved it.

"I'm so sorry..." He whispered as a tear made its way along his features.

"...I'm not the one you should be apologising too." As quickly as she had entered, she had left.

"...Is that your woman?" Sophia asked cautiously.

"Worse...That's my sister."

* * *

"...Well, yeah after that, I think I'm going to see Anna briefly and then who knows. That's about my day summed up." Luke said chirpily, while mixing scrambled eggs he was making on the stove. Surprisingly, cooking was a passion of his. And he had no complaints about making lunch for himself and Claire.

Turning from the cooker, he stole a glance at a preoccupied Claire sitting around the kitchen table. He raised his eyebrows at her seeing as he didn't get a reply. She remained focused on the flowers in front of her.

"You seem thoroughly interested in our conversation...Am I that boring?" He joked, a smile forming on his lips. Claire snapped up and looked perplexed towards him. She had really zoned out. The once pretty flowers situated in the middle of the table had now been torn into the tiniest of pieces. Each of the petals and leaves were neatly torn into a little pile in front of her. She barely even realised she had been doing it.

"What's on your mind, wee woman? What's wrong?" Luke asked softly, placing a generous plate of food before her, and taking a seat next to her.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked a slight smile forming as she looked at the meal he had made.

"As obvious as torn up flowers on the table, yeah." He handed her cutlery and began to tuck into his own food.

"...I went to see Chris." Claire began. She didn't eat the food, just played around with it using her fork. Her mind wasn't on eating. "He had spent the night with another woman."

"Whoa. Wouldn't have betted on that..." He didn't know Chris that well, but as with anybody he could see firsthand how devoted the man was to Jill. Even to him, it seemed absurd that Chris would ever stray. "But you know, it could have been a misunderstanding... Besides, we've all done things we regret."

"Don't defend him, Luke. He's taking his love for granted. At least he has some..." Claire understood she probably sounded like a jealous bitch, but that's because she was. She was willing to admit she was jealous of his love. He never seemed to understand what it was like for someone who never found that love...Someone like herself. Luke gave a sympathetic smile towards her; he could see she hadn't had the best time with relationships. That much was obvious.

"Just talk to him. Hear his side." Luke gently placed his hand upon her delicate one and gave a soothing squeeze. He didn't notice the effect he had on her, but automatically her heart fluttered and a small blush appeared on the young girl's features.

Claire had really grown to Luke. She did feel the instant attraction, and as she got to know him more, the attraction grew. She secretly hoped he felt the same.

"We've never really talked about relationships..." She trailed off, hoping he would catch onto to her intentions. She thought it was about time to give the subtle hints that she liked him, and talking about previous relationships was a good start in her eyes. It hadn't gone unnoticed that the wedding ring that was once firmly attached to his finger had now gone.

"Yeah well, nothing to really say... I'm not in one." His reply was sharp to say the least. It hurt her, she wasn't expecting to be shot down like that. She gave a small insincere smile. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. Maybe he didn't feel the same as her. Maybe Claire was destined to never find love.

* * *

Daytime TV sucked. Jill flicked through the various channels, everyone showing the same mindless rubbish. It was days like these she wished she was back at work. She still hadn't brought herself to tell Chris. The guilt was beginning to tear away at her, but her fear was stronger and so kept her from telling news of the pregnancy. She didn't even know if he had forgiven her for the kiss yet.

The door to Rebecca's house was knocked and swiftly opened by an incredibly angry looking Carlos. He pushed into the living room, pacing behind the sofa with clenched fists. Jill looked on confused, a smirk appearing due to the oddness of his actions.

"...You told Chris about the pregnancy yet?" He demanded, receiving a slight laugh from Jill.

"No, I will eventually..."

"Well whenever you get him over, make sure I'm there too." He replied angry, receiving another slight chuckle from her lips.

"My goodness Carlos, are you going to tell me what's wrong or just huff and puff everywhere?" He sighed, and perched himself on the edge of the sofa, and she swivelled to face him.

"That son of a bitch slept with my girlfriend." Jill's eyes opened with shock. He couldn't possibly be telling the truth. Her face was flooded with so many emotions, pain, and anger...embarrassment.

"What? No he wouldn't..." Her hands moved to cover the tears that began to flow. Being pregnant didn't help the sea of emotions she was feeling towards Chris.

"Yeah well he did. Sophia told me. She was pretty upset about it."

"Well she was in the wrong too..."

"We'll try and work through it. She explained it to me, it'll just take some time." Jill admired how willing Carlos was to forgive. An attribute she wasn't blessed with.

Jill couldn't have been angrier with Chris. Not only had he betrayed her, he'd betrayed Carlos as well. But she always thought Chris would have moved on anyway, she just didn't want to admit it. And with a baby along the way, it just made everything that little bit more complicated. She was scared Chris would think she was using the pregnancy as a way of trying to win him back. And after this, she was unsure if she would ever want him back anyway.

"...Carlos can I just be alone, please?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. Carlos felt terrible, he was so caught up in his own anger, he almost forgot how much the news would affect Jill.

Carlos gave her a sympathetic pat and headed to the front door. Upon opening it, he was faced with the one man he really didn't want to see.

"Carlos man, I'm so-"

Carlos cut off Chris mid sentence planting a hard punch across the older man's face. Surprisingly, the punch didn't make Carlos feel much better. He stepped over the fallen man, and went on his way without saying a word to him.

...

Chris was hit in the face again, this time by a flying bag of frozen peas. He picked up the bag and put it to his eye, which was undoubtedly going to turn black. Jill walked around to stand opposite him, who was sitting on the sofa.

"...Is it true?" She folded her arms and attempted to act confident. But no false anger or confidence could hide the tears that filled her blue eyes.

"I don't know. I can't remember, I was very drunk..." He wasn't even man enough to look at her. But he didn't need to see her to know the pain he had afflicted upon her. "God, Jill. You don't know how sorry I really am..."

"Being drunk doesn't change anything, Chris. You still gave yourself to another woman." She spoke bitterly towards him. It hurt him more than anything to know he was capable of turning her into such an angry woman. By nature she was generally level-headed and calm, but lately he seemed to be bringing out the worst in her.

Chris hung his head in shame.

...

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Like what? What do you want me to say, Jill?" He brought his head up and locked eye contact with her. It was hard to tell if his eyes were red due to Carlos's punch or if the man of stone was crying. "That I love you. That I'm sorry...I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Rarely did Chris Redfield pour his heart out, but anytime he did it was to the same woman. She was able to bring out his bottled emotions, and real feelings. He never cried, yet here before her, she could see trails of tears trickling along his cheeks.

"...Like you forgave me for kissing Carlos?" He let his head hang again. She was right, he was so hurt with just a kiss, and yet now he had done worse.

"We've both made mistakes Jill..." He whispered into his hands, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

"I didn't sleep with Carlos."

"And I don't know if I slept with her..." Jill just sighed at his words. "And even if I did, it would have been just sex. It didn't mean anything."

"...It's never just sex, is it?" He couldn't argue with her, he was in the wrong and he knew it.

...

"It just took some time, but I forgive you for kissing Carlos..." Chris said softly. He looked up to her, his eyes were pleading for forgiveness, and her heart was yearning for her to give in. His eyes and face glistened with his falling tears. "...I forgive you."

"Well that's great, Chris...But I don't forgive you."

* * *

Again sorry for the late update, the next one might be a little late too. Sorry! Also I was tired when I wrote this, so I hope it makes sense and ignore any blaringly obvious mistakes.

...Now let's not all go hating on Chris, okay? He's still my favourite, besides now he and Jill have broken up, maybe I have a shot! Haha, nah, It's just fun to add a little unnecessary drama between the two.

Artichoke,

x


	15. Follow Your Heart

_**Follow Your Heart And Nothing Else**_

Title is from Simple Man by Lynryrd Skynyrd, such a song! Haha. Thank you for being patient with these late updates and everything. Thanks reviewers and Jane, again can't thank you personally but thanks for the support. Enjoy.

* * *

In the earlier years days wouldn't pass when the two wouldn't see each other, but now it seemed weeks passed without either saying a word to each other. But that was the hardships of not only life, but love. Their arguing and mistakes were far from good, but Chris's love for her still seemed as strong as ever. Whether he slept with Sophia or not, he made a mistake. But that never meant he loved Jill any less. Not a day went by, where he didn't regret his actions and his mistakes which led them to this place. Walking through his empty house, their house, he missed her. He always just wondered if Jill ever felt the same about him.

All Chris did these days was think. He had nothing else to do. He just thought...about his family, about the still missing Alex, but mostly about Jill. He had to make the decision of whether to contact her or wait and pray that she comes to him. He put off the phone call to her so many times, but he knew he'd have to fight for her eventually. But on the other hand, he knew Jill. He knew sometimes she just needed the time to herself. She was an independent woman after all.

"Oh, it is bad..." Chris flipped his head up and smiled at his daughter who walked into his living room.

"What?"

"The face..." Anna said signalling to her eye. Carlos really didn't hold back on his punch, and the black eye on Chris's face was a sure sign of this.

"Oh, well it isn't as painful as it looks..." He let out a slight laugh. He moved his hand over the sofa and patted lightly enticing her to take a seat next to him. "How have you been?"

Chris felt unbelievably guilty whenever he thought about Anna. He was so caught up with Jill, he thought that he sometimes over looked his daughter. The opposite of what had happened before. He was scared to drive another person away from him.

"I'm okay, thank you. You shouldn't worry about me." Anna knew the guilt he felt, but she didn't think it was necessary. He obviously had to worry about Jill, and that didn't annoy her in the slightest. She had her school work to worry about, and still saw Chris daily on most occasions.

"But I do worry..." He gave out a little laugh, as a warm smile formed on his lips.

Every day she looked more and more like a woman. It scared the hell out of him, but it made him proud. She was a beautiful and smart girl, and he could see this. He never comprehended the love that a person gets when they look upon their child...But it was a wonderful feeling, an unconditional love and bond with a person, he had never felt before. It made him regret that he and Jill were never able to have a child, not just for him to raise a child, but for Jill to feel that love too.

"Just so you know, I'm sorry that I haven't been around as much lately. It's just with everything, you know..."

"I know. And just so you know, I don't believe you slept with Sophia either. I know how much you love Jill." Most daughters may be embarrassed to talk to their dads about such things, but she didn't mind. She was old enough to understand, and Chris wasn't naive enough to not realise this.

"Thank you, I hope you're right." Chris replied, smiling. It meant a lot to him, that someone else had faith in him too. "Come here."

Chris pulled his daughter into a bear hug. He was so scared to lose someone else he loved. Anna patted him lightly on the back, smiling as she did so.

"I'm so proud of you." Chris said, he almost felt tears welling in his eyes again. It was hard to think he was growing weak in his age...

* * *

It was a long ride to Jill's destination. But she knew it would be worth it. Anytime she needed a little conformation or a little faith, she went to the same place. And now more than ever was the time she needed help. She was scared, and she doubted her love for Chris. And that hurt her, she was just scared that what she felt for him wasn't true love. And it wasn't to do with her kissing Carlos, or even to do with Chris's possible mishap. It was to do with her feelings within. She just doubted herself more than anything. Yes, she was hurt with the news of Chris, but after she had time to think and calm down, she didn't believe Chris slept with Sophia either. She trusted him, she trusted the words of love he had spoken to her before, and maybe it was naive of her. But hopefully she would get her answers here.

Jill stopped the car, and went through all the procedures unfortunately she had become accustomed too. After giving in all her belongings including her phone, she stepped into the dull room, and quickly found her seat. She glanced around and saw a couple of other families sitting at other tables, some crying, and some laughing. That was the strangeness of the room, it was so dull and uninspiring, yet it was bursting full of emotion.

Jill beamed a toothy smile as the man she wished to see was led out and sat opposite her. There was only one man in the world that could make Jill so happy, even Chris couldn't make her smile like that, and the man of course was her father, Dick Valentine.

Dick was arrested shortly after her 21st birthday for 1st degree larceny; due to this Jill received much criticism when she joined STARS. But she was never embarrassed of her father. He made a mistake. But what most never realised was he did it all for Jill. He wanted to be the best possible father he could, and he just couldn't cope with trying to be there for a moody teenage girl who needed a mother, while trying to bring in income to give her the life she deserved.

"How have you been, Jilly?" He asked, returning her bright smile. Jill noticed as he smiled, his age was beginning to catch up with him. She could see a couple of defined lines, and his rich chocolate hair that she too was blessed with, now had streaks of grey throughout it.

"I'm okay, dad. But I have something to tell you..." Jill smile faded slightly, but she wasn't scared to tell him. She knew he would support her, and help her as he always did. "I'm pregnant."

Dick looked shocked to begin with, but straight after a bright smile played on his face. He was genuinely ecstatic for her.

"Congratulations, you and Chris must be over the moon." He announced his smile unable to disappear. Jill's however did. Her face contorted into a frown, she was confused. The last time she had visited was pretty soon after Africa, and at that time, she and Chris weren't together. So she hadn't a clue how he would know it was Chris's. Dick saw the look of confusion in his daughter, and gave a low chuckle.

"'Come on, I know he's the only one my daughter would ever get that close too..." Dick played with her, and smiled as Jill's face began to redden. He knew Jill's feelings for Chris long before they ever had a relationship. People tend to think dad's are oblivious to these things, but he saw the smile that formed when talk of her new partner was brought up and the little blush that always appeared when she found ways to compliment him. "Tell me I'm wrong?"

Jill's face suddenly turned from one of embarrassment to one of sadness. It was upsetting to think even her dad thought her and Chris were meant to be. Yet everything that had happened between them seemed to scream otherwise. Her pregnancy hormones just made her emotions even worse. Dick's smile quickly dissolved, as he thought he had offended her.

"What's wrong, Jill? I was only kidding...These should be the happiest days of your life." He set a hand upon her arm, and that's when the tears began to form in her eyes. She hadn't been able to open up about her problems and feelings to anyone, so now it was flooding out to her father.

"It's so messed up, dad. I don't know what to do...We aren't really together anymore, but it hurts, it hurts so bad." Jill's voice cracked and quickly used her hands to wipe away all the new forming tears. To Dick she wasn't really making much sense, but clearly she was talking about Chris."We shouldn't have had a relationship. You know, we should have just stayed friends, and then none of this would have happened. And it wouldn't be so painful..."

Jill always tried to appear strong and independent, but every day her heart ached for Chris. And not a minute went by when she didn't regret leaving in the first place. But on the other hand she knew deep down it was the right choice at the time. She really just didn't think love would ever be this hard, and that more than anything is what worried her.

Dick sighed at seeing his daughter so broken up. In times like this he always blamed himself for not being there for her. But he be damned if he didn't try to help her now.

"That's just love for you, Jilly bean. It sure as hell isn't easy. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't have fallen in love in the first place. I assure you life with love is much better than life without..." Dick was older, yes Jill was a woman now, but she was still innocent in the ways of love. He, on the other hand, had lived through life, and he had loved. Jill knew this and she took on board everything he said, nodding as he spoke. The tears had slowed, but her eyes still glistened with moisture. It did feel alien to her; she'd never had talks like this with her dad.

"Not a day goes by when I don't miss her..." Dick continued, his voice becoming more solemn.

It was obvious who he spoke off; it was Jill's mother Karen. She had died in childbirth, unexpected and positively devastating for him. And although it was over 30 years ago, he still missed her. He often wondered what she would think of him now. Seeing him stoop so low to be in a jail, he certainly wasn't the man she married.

"I don't know what's happened between you two, Jill. But there's always arguments in relationships, it's normal. You're stubborn, just like her. But arguments don't mean you love the person any less..." His voice began to crack, something which Jill didn't want to see.

"Dad..." She whispered to try to interrupt him. She knew if he cried that would start her off again. But it was nice of him to talk about Karen. He spoke wonders of the woman to Jill, but never did he speak about their relationship together.

"No, Jill. I don't want you to have the same regrets I do...Jill I don't have to tell you that life's short. But you can lose someone in the blink of an eye. And I know it's easy to hear about disasters and think, well it'll never happen to me... But it can." He locked solid eye contact with her. "Jill you know it can, you've had to live through much more than I would wish on anyone. But you still don't know what's going to happen."

Jill's eyes welled up again, Dick was obviously implying that she could lose Chris. It made her think... Her sacrifice for Chris at the Spencer Mansion spoke wonders. She didn't even have to think about it, she would rather die than lose him. And after everything, she still felt that way.

"If I could only take back all the time me and your mom fought and all the times I took our love for granted...Don't do the same Jill, because I think about it every day. If I could just go back and take back the poisonous words and actions I'd done towards her...And instead just tell how I really felt." Dick chocked on his words slightly. It still broke him up after such a long time. And the only reason he was reinforcing this, was because he knew his daughter loved Chris. And he couldn't bear to ever see her feel the same as he did now.

"But that's why if we hadn't fallen in love, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if I lost him..." Jill said. To her it was logical.

"Trust me, Jill, the love is worth it. If I could have your mom back for just one day, I would. Yeah, it would hurt even more when she would leave, but undoubtedly it would be worth it... You don't really understand how much love means until you've lost it."

"Trust me, I understand..." Jill trailed off, because to her the love was ruined.

"You haven't lost the love Jill. He still there... And I know you love him and I know it hurts. But I'm pretty certain he feels the same. He did travel all the way to Africa for you after all." Dick gave her a comforting smile. Which Jill returned and then let out a little chuckle.

"Why are you defending him, huh?" From what Jill could see, Dick never liked Chris. He took any opportunity he got to criticise the 'cocky bastard' as he called him. So it was surprising to see him actually try to convince Jill to give Chris a chance.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like any boy going after my daughter, but he's a good man I assure you. He's been there for you through everything when I wasn't able to be." Dick was right. Chris was the one who held Jill when all hope was lost, he was the one person always there for her. And that made tears form again. They'd been through too much to just leave it all behind.

"All I want for you is to be happy. And I know he loves you... When he came to tell me he was going to get my daughter back, I didn't believe him. I thought he was being stupid. But in his eyes, he had no fear; he was willing to die just to try to find you...And I remember feeling like that towards your mother." Dick said to her.

Jill paused for a moment. She knew she would get her answers from her father. And he was right Jill had already wasted too much time, her love for Chris was real. And she was going to fight for it. The only thing that now got to her was the pregnancy...

"...I haven't told him yet." Dick's face dropped at her revelation. "I know it's stupid, I'm just scared. And..."

Dick put a hand comfortingly upon Jill's.

"It was the happiest day of my life when Karen told me she was pregnant... Don't deprive him of that joy. But don't be scared, the kid's going to have a great support system no matter what." Jill smiled at his words and wiped away a stray tear.

...

"You know I may be an old coot to you, but I used to listen to music in my day too..." Jill let out a slight giggle, "But the best guidance I was ever given was to 'Follow your heart and nothing else'..."

"Lynyrd Skynyrd, Simple Man... Good choice." Jill smiled.

"Well obviously you really are my daughter..."

"I know my music." She laughed.

...

"Come here, Jilly." Dick leaned in and pulled his daughter into a warm embrace. Jill rested her head on his shoulder.

"I miss you, dad." She whispered.

"I know...I miss you too." He soothingly patted her back. She broke away from him and smiled.

"Thanks for the help...Granddad." She smiled coyly.

"Never call me that in public." Dick returned the smile, and watched as his daughter left to live her life... She had become a wonderful woman in his eyes.

Dick had given Jill the reassurance she always needed. She was ready to face her fears, and talk to Chris.

* * *

Claire sat on her laptop frantically trying to work things out. It was coming up to her 30th birthday, and she was trying her hardest to organise something. Usually Chris would help, but she hadn't fully forgiven him. Yes, she heard and took on board his side, but it still annoyed her. And she knew Luke was willing to help her, but she began to feel awkward around him. She was really unsure of how he felt for her, she was stressed enough and that just made things worse.

When she finally admitted to herself that indeed she liked him more than a friend, her self-doubt crept back in. She told herself he didn't feel the same, she would never be good enough for him, not nice enough, not calm enough, not pretty enough... Of course he had never any of these things, but this always happened to Claire. Anytime she liked a guy, she quickly found away to push him away so she couldn't get hurt.

The door to the house opened, and Claire figured it would be Leon returning from either mystery work or a mystery date.

"You haven't been answering my calls..." Luke's voice echoed through the quiet room. Claire didn't turn to face him, and continued on her computer.

"Haven't you heard of knocking? Plus it's like twelve o'clock." She replied, continuing to furiously type.

"Maybe I'm just coming for a booty call..." Luke replied a jokey smile forming on his lips. See this is what confused Claire, to her this was obvious flirting, yet anytime she hinted towards a relationship he seemed to shy away. Maybe he just liked the thrill of flirting and wasn't one to settle.

"Funny." Claire replied angrily, continuing with her work. Luke looked shocked as his smile faded. He silently moved closer to her through the moonlit room. Claire jumped as he placed his hands on his shoulders. He could feel how tense she was.

"..What's wrong, Claire?" He whispered, lowering his face to her ear, as he lightly made circles with his thumbs on her tense muscles. He sent shivers along her spine, and she stopped her typing.

"...Okay. This. This is what's wrong!" Claire threw her hands up and tensed even more. Luke quickly retracted his hands, surprised by her outburst. She swivelled round to face him. "I mean what is this? You can't just come around in the middle of the night and give me a bloody massage!"

...

"I just wanted to make you feel better." He said honestly, completely confused by her actions. He thought they were always pretty comfortable together, and frankly couldn't see what her problem was. Claire let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh come on, Luke. Why do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Flirting! I don't understand do you like me or not, or what the hell is this? 'Cause I'm fed up with the mixed signals..." She replied angrily. She was happy there were no lights; therefore he couldn't see the tears that grew in her blue azures.

"I thought we were just friends..." He replied cautiously. Claire felt cut. She thought that was the truth anyway, but hearing it from him hurt even more. Why did everyone she like not feel the same.

...

"So you're just leading me on..." She replied more calmly, nibbling at the inside of her jaw. "You know I thought you were different, Luke. I thought you were a nice guy, but you're just like everyone else..."

Luke stood confused, he didn't know what to say to make things better.

...

"Claire, I-"

"Just leave, please Luke." She interrupted. She was just stressed, and now she had embarrassed herself. Immediately she regretted saying anything.

Luke gave one last saddened glance towards her. Maybe if he was just man enough to admit his real feelings, he could have prevented this... Against his hearts wishes, he left Claire to sob alone.

* * *

One of the few scenes planned from the very beginning of the story was Jill and her father, so hence why it's pretty long. Also, it might be a bit boring I suppose, but I just really wanted to write it. I knew after putting in so much drama it would be near impossible for Chris and Jill to make up, but in my opinion I always thought the only person who would be able to convince Jill would be her dad. So I hope the scene came across the way I wanted it too.

I'm putting it out there, I've never had a run in with the police, so I haven't a clue about sentences and what not, especially not in America. So just humour me, and pretend what I've written is right, haha.

Thanks guys, take care.

x


	16. Waiting For the Perfect Time

_**There's Too Many Distractions, Waiting For the Perfect Time**_

Thank Gavin DeGraw's Lover Be Strong for the title. Pretty Claire centred chapter for me actually, but hey ho. Still plenty of Chris and Jill lined up for the future.

Gotta give a big thanks to the reviewers, it really means a lot to me. And if you can keep trucking I'll meet my target of 100, haha. Also again, since I can't thank you personally, thank you Jane for your continuing support. And also Alex, thank you for the review...I expect my cake to arrive next week at the very latest and damn better be iced! Haha, thanks peeps, enjoy.

* * *

Claire glanced to the large grandfather clock ticking in the middle of Leon's living room. Nine hours and twenty minutes until midnight, then officially it would be Claire's thirtieth birthday. It was a scary prospect for her, what a mess she had made of those thirty years. No marriage, no children...She was hardly even on speaking terms with her one remaining close relative at the moment. She never thought she'd reach thirty alone. Even Leon was still preoccupied with some random workload he had.

Claire may not have had what she had wished for, but she still had her friends. It just seemed they had their own problems to tend too. Nevertheless, she had organised a party for the night of her birthday, perhaps then she could get past what she saw as a failed life so far.

The door to the house was lightly knocked, and in came her somewhat absentee relative.

"How's my little sister doing?" Chris asked carefully, gently shutting the door behind him. He knew Claire was still pissed with him, but it had been a while, and truth be told in these occasions, Chris usually waited for her to come back to him...But this time she hadn't.

"Fine." Her reply was sharp and uninformative, her way of conveying the anger she still felt towards him.

"I haven't seen or heard anything from you; I was beginning to worry..." Chris said, perching himself on the arm of the sofa next to her.

"I said I'm fine."

...

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't think I slept with Sophia." Chris targeted what he knew was angering Claire.

"You were still in the position too, Chris. Either way you took Jill for granted, but maybe I'm wrong, I guess you've just moved on...Well, I suppose I should too." Chris sighed, and effectively bit his tongue.

Claire knew rightly her words annoyed him, but as horrible as it sounded, that's what she wanted. She was fed up with the Chris drama. First having Anna, then problems with Jill, rarely did anyone else stop to ask how Claire was coping. After all, she recently found out the child she had done her very best to help was killed, and finally she heard the truth about Steve's fate. With that, she thought closure would come; unfortunately it had yet to fully appear in her mind.

...

"Well I just thought I would come see if you needed any help with your birthday." Chris said, quickly changing the topic.

After their parent's death, he just didn't want things to change for her, so instead of their parents organising a birthday party, he took it on himself. It seemed to stick, and since then it was almost a tradition for the two to do it together. All Chris ever wanted for his little sister was to be happy.

"I've ready organised something... The British pub in town said we could have it there. They've got a DJ and everything set up." It was a lot of hassle without Chris, but she got it organised. Nevertheless it slightly hurt Chris that she wouldn't ask him for his help. "You can come if you want."

"Uh, yeah okay. Well if you need any last minute help, I'm always there for you."

"Thank you." Claire whispered. An awkward silence fell, and he could sense the tension she still felt towards him. It would take time, but they were family, he still knew she loved him and vice verse.

Chris nodded and gave a light pat on Claire's shoulder and quietly left the house. And here she was again, alone.

* * *

Claire walked up to the large wooden door of the house. She began to nibble the inside of her jaw, worried as she hadn't rang first, and she began to wonder if the woman she wanted to see would even be at home.

The door was opened and broad smile played on both of the woman's lips. Jill quickly threw her arms around the shorter woman in a warm embrace. Claire had become a little sister to her too, so it was lovely to see her again. Claire regretted that she hadn't been there for Jill as much as she was for Chris. But Jill would never hold that against her anyway.

The two separated and Jill offered her to take a seat, her eyes caught a certain book on the table and immediately Jill swiped the book away from sight. Chris would have to be told before Claire, she couldn't go spilling anything.

"How you been, girlie?" Jill asked, handing Claire a glass of lemonade.

"Okay, I guess." She replied, Jill could sense her hesitation, and gave a sympathetic smile, obviously life wasn't being good to the younger Redfield either. "I actually came here to ask you to come to my party tomorrow. It's really just a big get together..."

"That sounds good Claire, but..." Jill trailed off. She was planning to tell Chris the news later today, and honestly she didn't think he would take it too well considering she had kept it a secret for so long, so she didn't want to make Claire's birthday awkward in any way. "I think I'll just pop by briefly..."

"I know you don't want to come because of Chris. But it'll be fun, and you don't even have to speak to him...Come for me, please." Claire pleaded with her.

"Okay." She nodded. It was Claire's thirtieth after all, so it was a big event, Jill thought she should be decent enough to attend for the sake of Claire.

"Thanks, and I might not be on best terms at the moment with Chris, but for what it's worth, he still loves you. That much is blatantly obvious." Claire said. A smile formed on Jill's lips, she had spent too long apart from him.

"That's good to know... You can be first to know, I've actually arranged to meet up with him today. It's a small step, but...I just hope this is the beginning of things to get better for us." Claire returned Jill's smile when she spoke. She may have been jealous of their love, but she still wished the very best for both of them.

"I'm happy for you, Jill. You're a very forgiving woman..." Claire said. Jill didn't fully agree, she hadn't forgiven him, strangely she believed him. And she was pregnant, her main priority was, and always would be, her unborn child.

"Enough about me... You got any gossip? I know you and that Luke guy were getting pretty close..."

Jill gave a little wink, and a knowing look toward the younger girl. Claire's face remained saddened, which brought worry upon Jill.

"Well there's nothing reall..." Claire stopped as she felt her phone vibrate loudly. She gave an apologetic look to Jill and retrieved the mobile, sighing as she read the caller, "Speak of the devil, there he is now... I'm sorry, Jill."

Claire left Jill and walked back outside the house, answering as she left.

"What is it?"

"_Well, hello to you too, sunshine." _The smooth Scottish accented man replied.

"What do you want, Luke?" Claire asked, she was still embarrassed to talk to him. She really just wished she hadn't said anything. She could hear a sigh on the other end.

"_I just wanted to talk to you about everything...Can I come round?" _

"No, Luke, I'm not at home. I'm just going to the park for a while, so just...Don't try to contact me." Claire wandered down the steps from Rebecca's house and gradually made her way to the park gardens opposite while talking.

"_Claire, please. We need to talk-" _

She ignored his pleas and hung up the call, no denying it, she was one stubborn woman.

* * *

Chris gave himself one last check over in the mirror, fixing the one strand of dark hair which happened to be slightly out of place. Once again, he had butterflies in his stomach, but he took some hope in the fact that Jill had come to him to talk. He had almost given up; after all he had done all he physically could. The last he saw her, he cried for her, she obviously knew his feelings.

Chris had made more of an effort than usual; he put on a neat blue check shirt which accentuated the muscles, which may not have been as big with the lack of training, but still very prominent. On top of that, he wore the aftershave he knew she loved. Hell, he'd even shaven for her.

Chris let out a deep breath as he opened the door to the woman he had always loved. Jill's eyes widened slightly as she appreciated the effort he had made, her wandering eye didn't go unnoticed, and a small smile played on his lips. She suddenly felt underdressed in a pair of scruffy jeans, plain blue t-shirt and no make-up, not that he seemed to notice. She looked beautiful to him no matter what.

"You look good...And smell good." Jill thought it would do no harm to voice her opinion. But honestly, she preferred him unshaven, it was more the real him, nevertheless she appreciated his effort.

"You too...I'm so happy you came." He held the door open, and signalled for her to enter the house. Suddenly fear overcame her again, and she began to nibble her jaw.

...

"Are you feeling okay, Jill?" He didn't ask because of the change in her disposition, but he noticed as she walked to the sofa how thin she had become. She had lost much weight after Africa, but quickly regained it, weight never seemed to be an issue for her. But it worried him that he could see her shoulder blades protruding as she sat, and that her face was much paler and more gaunt than usual. Maybe their problems were taking more of a toll on her, than she would admit.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." She started fiddling with her hands, something she always did when she was nervous. "I actually have something to tell you..."

Chris now began to feel nervous too; worried something was wrong with her. He sat carefully next to her.

"And, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier...I just didn't know how too." She continued, removing her eyes from his, "I was just scared, but..."

...

"I'm pregnant!"

Jill snapped her head up to the source of the voice, her face contorted into one of anger and confusion. The door to Chris's house was open wide as a woman stood at the door with what looked like mascara trails down her face.

"What?" Chris demanded at the woman who had barged in uninvited.

"It's not what you think, Chris. The dates wouldn't add up anyway."

Jill had heard enough, her eyes didn't even water, she was more angry than anything. She believed Chris wasn't in anyway the father, but that didn't change the fact that the woman she least wanted to see was standing in front of her. It also hurt her that Chris hadn't removed all ties with her in the first place.

"Jill wait!" Chris shouted after her, as she stood up and headed towards the door. Jill couldn't tell him now, not with her there. She paused momentarily next to the woman, contemplating her next action. She sighed and brought herself as close to the woman's ear as possible,

"You're lucky you're pregnant, bitch." Jill whispered in Sophia's ear and left the room, infuriated that she lost the perfect chance to tell him. Her dad wouldn't be proud of her now.

Sophia shook her head. When she entered, Jill was sitting forward, in all honesty, she only saw Chris. It wasn't what she intended. She immediately regretted her outburst.

"Why the hell are you telling me this, Sophia?" Chris was fuming at her. All he wanted was Jill, and in his perspective, he worried Jill would think the worst with Sophia's proclamation.

"I'm just scared, Chris..." Chris's anger melted as her voice cracked. He knew she was being genuine, and he'd never actually seen her like this before. "I just need someone to talk too."

"Come here." Chris let out a sympathetic sigh, and made room for her to join him.

"It's not planned or anything, Chris. This is bad; I don't know what to do..." Her dark eyes filled and his heart went out to her. He knew Jill would be angry, but Sophia needed him too. He couldn't leave someone who was crying out to him for help.

"...Have you told Carlos?" He asked quietly, patting her leg comfortingly.

"No, not yet." Chris's eyes widened with shock.

"Soph, you got to tell him. He should be the one to find out first for God sake, it's his child. How long have you known?"

"A couple of days..."

"God..." He sighed, "Sophia, I know you're scared. But you're making it worse by not telling him. Do you know how angry I would be if I wasn't told I was going to be dad, and if the woman just kept it from me? You have to tell him. You don't know it's bad until you see his reaction..." She smiled at him, he gave the help she needed. "But I wouldn't tell Carlos you told me first...I don't think he'd be best pleased."

"Thanks Chris. And I'm sorry about Jill." Sophia lightly pulled him into a friendly hug, she really did appreciate his help. As she hugged she got a strong whiff of his aftershave and began to choke, pulling herself away from him. "Ew, you do not smell good..."

Chris laughed slighty. It didn't insult him, because he wore it for Jill, not Sophia, and there was no other woman who he would ever want to impress. He just hoped, after what seemed like another trial for them, she would hear him out once more.

* * *

Claire sat on the park bench; she was in a pretty secluded area, away from the traffic noise and most of the people. She was able to take in the beautiful surroundings of various neat flowers and plants.

Suddenly a plucked bright yellow tulip was placed in front of her eyes, it made her jump slightly. The person holding the tulip walked around the bench to face her and got down on one knee, still offering the flower. It was a cheesy gesture, but still brought a slight smile to her lips, she took the flower and whispered a polite thank you.

Luke pushed himself off his knee and sat next to her, also appreciating their surroundings.

"I told you we needed to talk." He said.

"And I told you, I wanted to be alone."

"...I don't believe that." Claire sighed, unfortunately he was right. She missed talking to him, but nothing would remove the embarrassment she felt looking at him.

...

"Claire, I've never lied to you...But I haven't been completely honest either." Claire looked up at Luke, surprised by his new conversation. "I do like you...like that."

She blushed slightly, and removed her gaze from him. But she couldn't help but think he was only saying this to make her feel better.

"It's just...I don't know how to tell you this...I was married, Claire." Her eyes widened, it definitely wasn't what she expected to hear. "We got married pretty young I guess, I was only twenty-three, but it didn't matter because we were in love."

Claire just nodded in shock, she honestly didn't know what to say to him. But she felt even worse knowing he was a married man.

"But, whenever Alex took notice of my successes and knowledge of microbiology, she came personally to get me. It just happened to be Kate was with me..." Luke chocked a little as he recalled the events, and had to place his hand over his eyes, "Alex shot her in front of my eyes, and took me. I couldn't even protect her."

Claire bit her lip, as her eyes too began to water with his words. Undoubtedly it was the most painful experience he had gone through. Claire gave him comfort in the only way she could think of, her small hand clutched over his larger one.

"That was when I was twenty six. It's hard to believe it was six years ago. I was reading the reports and Alex made it seem Kate committed suicide after I went missing. But I told the BSAA what really happened, and I presume her family now know the truth at least..."

"I'm so sorry Luke. I really am." Claire was crying more than he was. She was a softy when it came to things like this. "But, thank you for telling me."

"I should be the one apologising, Claire. I was just scared to get close to you, and have to lose you like I lost her." Claire's heart melted once again, he really knew what to say to her to make her heart flutter.

Claire hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought him closer to her body.

"You're not going to lose me." She whispered into his ear. His large hands found their way along her waist, and sat at the small of her back. She appreciated the feeling and the warmth he gave, not to mention the alluring smell off his neck, she buried her head snugly in the crook of his neck.

A smile formed on Claire's lips, maybe this year's birthday would be a good one for her. She wouldn't be alone this time.

* * *

Sorry for the delay. But I hope you enjoy.

Artichoke,

x


	17. Would You Still Be Here

_**If I Was Sincere, Whispered My Fears, Would You Still Be Here?**_

Title is from Stay by Michelle Featherstone. As always thank you reviewers, means a lot to me. And now for the people I can't thank personally...Jane, my dear, you make me blush. I'm so happy you still like it, you're too kind to me! And Miss Redfield, I'm glad you enjoyed it, I hope you accept my portrayal of you. Haha.

Enjoy the slightly longer chapter.

* * *

Thirty years had passed, and perhaps unbelievably, she was now happy. Her life was never one of bliss; things seemed to deteriorate from the death of her parents and just became that bit worse whenever she was involved in Raccoon City. Although she never voiced it, she never thought she'd ever led a normal life. Truth be told, she was scarred since those days, but she found a way to overcome it, and with that, happiness followed suit. Of course, the appearance of a certain man certainly helped out with that too.

Claire rolled on her side in the large bed to take a peek at the man lying next to her. She wasn't one for love at first sight, or love at all, but she could tell the minute she laid eyes upon him, that he was something different.

"Good morning." Claire whispered with a little grin on her lips.

"Happy Birthday." Luke replied groggily, and rolled himself over to his side, to face her. She was comfortable in his presence, usually in these situations she would be freaking out that she had morning hair and smeared make up. But this time she didn't mind, and he certainly didn't either.

The nicest thing about their previous evening and the morning was they weren't intimate. Claire was never comfortable enough in herself to ever move that quickly. Besides it was nice to just spend the night talking to him again. She just refused to let him sleep on the sofa. But Luke respected her boundaries, hell he didn't even steal a kiss.

"I have to apologise, I don't have your present with me...I suppose I'll give it to you tonight." Luke said to her, moving a stray piece of auburn hair from her eyes.

"Don't be stupid, I'm just happy your here."

"Come here." They both let out a slight chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her waist to tug her into his body. He rolled unto his back, and she rested her head and hands on his chest, gently closing her eyes in the process.

...

"Happy Birthday!" The door of her bedroom was swung open, allowing Claire to look at Leon standing in the doorway. His big smile soon faded into a coy one as he saw she wasn't alone. "Oh...Nice work, Claire."

She laughed in response, but felt Luke tense up beneath her. He wasn't really too sure what to do, and he couldn't move, because Claire was still rested upon him.

"It's not what you think..." She replied, ripping the bed sheets off herself and Luke, showing Leon both were fully clothed from the day before. Leon shook his head, but laughed lightly.

"Well in that case, since you haven't started... mind if I join?" Leon said seductively, running his tongue along his top lip. Claire laughed at him, while Luke winced slightly.

Claire sat up brightly, crossing her legs on the bed, while patting the free area next to her for Leon to sit.

"I thought you had to be away for the weekend?" She asked, as Leon sat on the edge next to her.

"Nah, I fiddled around so I could be back for today. After all, you're getting old Claire Redfield!" He joked, pulling her tightly into a bear hug; she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him. The two were very good friends, and it was just a shame he seemed so busy at the moment.

Luke had sat himself upright, feeling uncomfortable if he kept lying down. He presumed the man was Leon, it was the only person that would make sense, especially considering he had a key to the house.

"Oh, by the way...Your present's waiting in the kitchen." Claire squealed in delight at his words and hoped off the bed to run downstairs.

Leon moved his gaze towards Luke, looking him up and down. He was protective over Claire, he had to make sure this man was good enough.

Luke removed his gaze from Leon, as he felt Leon's wandering eye over him. He felt incredibly awkward considering Claire had left, and it was now only the two of them sitting on the bed. And from the previous joke, he began to believe Leon wasn't exactly the straightest man.

...

"I don't swing that way..." Luke coughed out in attempt to remove Leon's gaze over him. Leon blurted out a laugh, and slapped him on the thigh.

"Relax. Neither do I." Leon said, continuing to chuckle. Luke just sighed in relief.

"I'm Luke Johnson by the way." He introduced himself, holding his hand out to Leon, who graciously shook it.

"Leon S. Kennedy...I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise... Well I suppose we should go down to see Claire." Luke said, standing off the bed and heading towards the door.

"Luke." He stopped in his tracks and turned to Leon. "Claire's been through a lot. Treat her right...Otherwise you'll have me to answer too... And Chris I suppose."

Luke nodded, he appreciated that Leon looked out for her. Plus, there would be no way he would argue with Chris and Leon, they were both much more muscular than he was.

...

Claire couldn't conceal her giggling when she laid eyes upon a small little chocolate Labrador puppy with a bright red bow around its neck, sitting prim and proper in the kitchen. She immediately got down on her knees to pet and cuddle it... Leon definitely knew what she loved.

* * *

Chris flickered his eyes open. As soon as they adjusted to the room, confusion took over him. He didn't recognise his surroundings, he was in a pitch black room and he saw no doors or windows. Anger crept upon him, and immediately he attempted to leave. His arms shook against the restraints. Although he couldn't see anything, it felt like thick rope wound around his wrists. Despite his greatest efforts, his arms and feet were permanently stuck. He let out a deep growl as he used all the strength he had to fight away. But all to no avail. Chris closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

He tried to make sense of the situation, tried to focus to understand what happened previously and where on earth he could be. But he came up short. He had no recollection of anything in fact.

The sound of stiletto shoes echoed through the empty room. And from a beam of light, a tall slender woman walked in, standing opposite him. He looked her up and down, she wore a black coat, buttoned up to accentuate her waist and bust. Long curls of platinum blonde hair lay either side of her face.

But as Chris glanced at her face, confusion and fear set in. Her face was completely covered by an expressionless white mask. Even her amber eyes were only barely visible to him. She didn't speak, just stared at him.

Chris's eyes moved from her, to the woman who was led behind her. His heart sunk as his eyes focused and he realised the woman was Jill. He tried once again against his restraints but his efforts didn't make a difference. Jill locked eye's with him, she looked petrified.

The masked woman turned to look at Jill, and she slowly glided her way behind Jill. Chris tried to talk but the words wouldn't come out. Light reflected off the shiny surface of the woman's knife as she ran it slowly along Jill's neck, sweeping Jill's hair from her face in the process.

Chris's gaze fell over Jill, but things were different. She was pregnant, very noticeably pregnant. The bump was prominent; she looked at least 6 months gone. His eyes stung with fear, and Jill just stood silent, her eyes were pleading for him to do something. But he was powerless. He opened his mouth to shout, but again no sound fell from his lips.

The woman moved her free hand around Jill, allowing her long thin fingers to creep along Jill's bump delicately. Chris watched in fear as she moved the knife down to Jill's bump. Gently, she pierced through Jill's skin and slowly brought the knife right along the width of her abdomen. Jill didn't scream or even flinch, but the colour drained from her face, and Chris watched as the life faded from her eyes and she took her final breath. Blood seeped through the gaping wound, coating the knife, and eventually the floor was covered in the bright blood of mother and baby.

Finally Chris could scream as he jumped up out of the sofa and out of his dreams. Sweat stuck his dark locks to his forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd had dreams about the masked woman, but every time it was as vivid as life.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his racing heart and shaky hands. He glanced to the clock and noticed it was already six o'clock. He must have fallen asleep on the sofa, but now he had little time to prepare for Claire's.

Once he was more relaxed, Chris stood up and threw himself into the shower to get ready for the evening, hoping to forget his previous nightmare.

* * *

Jill arrived slightly late for Claire's party, as she walked in she already regretted coming. It wasn't her type of scene, the place was swimming with people, and very few of them she actually recognised. From what Claire had said, the majority were old friends of hers. If that wasn't bad enough, Jill's feet were killing her already in the stiletto heels, and she felt ridiculous wearing a short strappy blue dress. But that was the outfit Claire insisted she wore.

She saw Chris, Anna and the Burton family talking near the bar, but she wished to find Claire first. Chris caught her sight, and she gave him a slight smile, ensuring he knew she wasn't angry with him about the previous day. Before he had a chance to wave her over, she moved on. She hoped to avoid him until after the party because then she could tell him about the pregnancy. She wasn't going to ruin Claire's birthday.

Jill bustled through various people dancing, the music was blaring so loud she could hear very little. She saw a couple of tables on the opposite side of the room, and one of which Claire was situated at. Jill walked up and leaned down to give Claire a big hug at the table. It was quieter here, and it was only Claire and Luke really sitting down.

"You look great, Jill." Claire said, even Luke gave an appreciative glance over Jill. Well, she had made an effort; she put on more make up than usual, and decided to loosely curl her long chocolate locks.

"Thank you. And so do you birthday girl." Claire was wearing what looked to be a pretty black cocktail dress, but with her sitting it was hard to tell. Jill smiled as it was obvious Claire made up with Luke, and from the looks of it they were closer than ever, considering Luke's arm was placed around Claire's back protectively.

"Here, your present." Jill handed Claire a black leather jacket with a card on top. "I didn't have time to wrap it, I'm sorry...And I have the receipt if it's not the right size or you don't like it or anything."

"Relax, Jill, that's the one I loved..." Claire had admired the jacket on one of their shopping trips, but she complained about the price, so refused to buy it. Jill obviously didn't mind, and thought her friend was worth it. "But you shouldn't have, it was expensive..."

Jill shrugged, and gave a smile.

"You should sit." Claire suggested.

"No, I've only just arrived, and I am itching for a drink." Jill laughed. Honestly she didn't want to interrupt the two, and she knew people would be coming in and out to wish Claire happy birthday, and Jill didn't want to get in the way.

"Are you not going to dance?" Claire joked, knowing it wasn't Jill's thing.

"I think I'll pass on that one..." Jill laughed and waved a goodbye, as she headed to the bar.

...

"You got a name for that mutt yet?" Luke asked Claire sitting next to him. He immediately received a punch on the shoulder.

"Abe is not a mutt, he is a lovely little puppy..." Claire warned.

"Abe?" Luke laughed, "Are you serious?"

"After Abraham Lincoln, and yes I am serious." She replied glaring at him, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no, of course not. It makes perfect sense to name a Labrador puppy after a former president of the United States..."

"Good to know you understand my reasoning behind it..." She joked. A small smile played on her lips as she decided to try teasing him, "So you gave Miss Valentine a very...long glance?"

"Oh, well Miss Redfield...Am I sensing a bit of jealousy?" If she was going to play, he certainly would too. He sent her a coy wink.

"No." She replied quickly. He smiled at her, and leaned closer to her ear.

"If it's any consolation, she looked good, but you look much...sexier." Luke whispered in her ear. He really was good at this flirting business. Claire chuckled and blushed ever so slightly.

"Down boy." Claire warned him jokily.

* * *

The night went on, and it seemed the amount of people didn't shrink. It came to a point where a slow song was played and as a bit of fun everyone got up to dance. Old Barry and the wife Karen led the way, saying they were going to show the young ones how to do it. Even Leon took Anna up for a little jokey dance, not without receiving a death stare from her watchful father of course. But it was probably for the best, meant no drunk men could leer at her due to her young age. Also meant the two previous women Leon had already teased and kissed couldn't fight over which one was going to get to dance with him.

Luke reached around and placed one arm to rest on Claire's waist while the other interlocked with her hand. Claire smiled and placed her free arm to rest over his shoulder and swayed with him to the music. Even with her heels, he was still much taller than she.

"Never thought I'd get to dance with the birthday girl...Aren't I lucky?" He said, a smile playing on his lips. Another blush appeared on her cheeks, he was definitely a cheesy man, but she liked it. Tough, brooding men never won her over anyway.

"I'd say I'm luckier. I never thought I'd find someone like you." She said honestly, gazing into his hazel eyes.

Luke unclasped her hand and used his to gently tip her face upwards towards him. It was the moment she had been waiting for, but for her it had been quite a while, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. He edged his face down slowly towards hers, brushing his lips against her own briefly. A smile formed on his lips as he savoured her sweet taste.

Her eyes remained closed, and he brought their lips to meet again, but this time for longer. It was an electric feeling for Claire, but she was still slightly hesitant. For him, her lips were soft and light just as he imagined. He darted his tongue out to run along and tease her lips. She complied with his wishes and parted her lips ever so slightly, allowing his tongue to slip carefully into her mouth. She soon melted into the kiss and began her own exploring. The two kept as close as possible and separated only for the occasional need of breath.

...

Throughout the dance, Jill remained seated at the bar, sipping her drink. She knew she was probably the only one not dancing, but she really didn't feel the need too. Besides she was not willing to give the three drunken horny men who asked her to dance, any form of satisfaction by actually doing it.

"Care to dance?" Jill sank her head, and sighed. Yet another random man she'd never met, asking for a dance. She supposed some people would be flattered by the attention, but she definitely wasn't.

"I'm sorry, but I can't, I broke my foot..." Jill threw the same excuse as she swivelled in the chair to see the latest desperate man asking her. Her face dropped as Chris stood before her with his trademark lopsided grin and hand held out for her.

"Really?" He asked jokily. She closed her eyes and sighed,

"Oh Chris..."

"It's just a dance Jill. Just as friends..." Chris tried to argue. Her plan of avoiding him obviously didn't work, but one dance wouldn't hurt. She gave him a smile and placed her hand into his as he helped her up, and led her towards the crowd of others dancing.

Jill cautiously wrapped both her arms around Chris's neck, to rest on his shoulders. Her heels gave her the advantage of height, and so she was much closer to his height than usual.

He didn't want to push her, so once she was comfortable, Chris brought his hands around her thinning waist, and pulled her body up close to his. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and gently closed her eyes, as the two moved with each other to the music.

This is what Jill had missed, the spontaneous and romantic actions he used to do on a regular basis. The actions that made her realise why she fell in love with him in the first place. Because, although he was a rough man, he was as gentle as anything when he touched her. Her heart raced that little bit faster when he held her tighter. It felt so wonderful to be back in his arms, she felt safe again. Against her efforts, she could feel her eyes beginning to well, she couldn't take it. She missed him so much, and she was so desperate to just latch onto his lips and hold him forever again.

"You look beautiful." He whispered the compliment into her ear, laying a small kiss on her cheek after.

That was the last point for her, she couldn't take it anymore. Tears trickled along her fine features. She suddenly felt embarrassed in front of so many people. She mumbled an apology and regrettably moved her hands to his chest to gently push him away. She turned on her heels and jogged out of the room. Chris looked dumbfounded, and began to worry he had done something wrong.

* * *

The night was clear but cool. Jill had found a small bench out the back of the pub, away from the noise of the party. It was peaceful for her, only slight noise being that of the nearby traffic. She took the time to admire the bright stars which shone in the moonlit sky. She had had the time to pull herself together, and all form of tears had left. She really was getting weaker, but that was love. Chris made her vulnerable.

"Am I that bad a dancer?" Chris chuckled stepping out behind the bench. He followed the direction she had taken, and found her out here. It didn't surprise him; she always did love seeing the stars anyway. She just rarely did it after the mansion incident due to acquiring a fear of the dark.

Jill smiled and shook her head. Chris noticed her shivering, after all it was a cool night and her dress was just spaghetti straps. He slung the jacket off his shoulders, and draped them carefully over hers. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt so he was more protected from the cold anyway.

"Thank you." She whispered. He always was quite the gentleman. Chris walked around and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry for running off like that, I just..."

"I should be the one apologising. Jill, I didn't know Sophia was going to barge in like that earlier..."

"I know... But why did she come to you?" Jill asked out of curiosity, she didn't believe the unborn child would be Chris's. But it wouldn't hurt to check.

"Not for the reason you're probably thinking...She was just scared." Jill could sympathise with her on one thing obviously. "But she was pretty stupid, she hadn't even told Carlos, and she's known for a couple of days. But I think she's telling him today..."

Jill nodded. Fear began to boil within her again; clearly Chris wasn't going to be happy that she had kept their news for so long from him. Chris noticed she looked distant.

"So what is it you wanted to tell me?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I...I don't want to say here. But can we go to yours and talk?" Chris saw fear in her eyes, and it worried him deeply.

"Of course. I just have to give Claire her present and I'll meet you there..." He gave a slight smile to try to reassure her. But it didn't do anything to help her. She was going to miss that smile, because she honestly thought he'd never forgive her once she told him.

Chris gave a slight pat on her leg, and stood up to leave.

"Chris, wait." Jill called standing up, and successfully stopping him in his tracks. He turned to face her. "Do you want to finish our dance first?"

Jill gave him a little shy smile as she asked. A broad toothy grin appeared on his lips, as he moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't really want to dance; she just wanted to be held by him again...To feel him close to her once more. She knew it was selfish of her, she figured after their talk later on, he would pretty much hate her. But she wanted to hold some memory of what it was like when things were good between them.

Eventually they stopped swaying and Jill merely latched on to him, hugging him tightly around his waist. He could feel dampness through his shirt, although he couldn't hear her sobs. Without a fraction of hesitation, his hands came up to stroke her hair soothingly. He thought Jill was crying for them, and everything they had to go through, little did he know, her tears were that of guilt.

* * *

After presenting Claire with a pendant of their late mothers, Chris headed home, in hope to speak to Jill. It was late so the roads were pretty deserted. He could feel his eyes sinking as he drove. Probably wasn't in the best condition to drive, but he was nearly home anyway.

Chris brought the car up into the drive, but squinted at another car parked slightly up from his house. He shrugged it off, and figured it was a neighbour. Had Chris have been more alert, he might have noticed he had seen the car before. And that it was more familiar with him than he believed.

Chris stepped up to the porch and as he put the key in the front door, he realised it wasn't locked to begin with. He cautiously pushed open the door, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Jill? Are you in here?" He asked the empty room. With no reply, he laughed slightly at his nervousness.

As Chris threw his keys down and entered the hall, a blunt object collided with the back of his head. He didn't say a word, and just fell silently as his world was enveloped into darkness.

* * *

I had this whole chapter planned out for a long time as well. And yes, it's a little cheesey, but honestly I don't care. The story isn't exactly meant to be terribly serious, so I think cheese is acceptable, haha. XD

Also, as for naming the puppy Abe, it was either that or Khrushchev, so I went for Abe...Though I'm now quite tempted to name my next pet Khrushchev. My mind is a strange one.

x


	18. Aint Never Seen A War Like Me

_**They Aint Never Seen A War Like Me**_

Title is from Son Of Sam, by Shinedown...Wonder who that could be describing... As I say every time, thank you reviewers. And Claire, thank you, I'm glad you like Claire and Luke, that's always been a worry o' mine. Jane, as always, your reviews are terribly sweet thank you. And finally, Alex, you have an unfortunate name in this story...Also, thanks for the cake, it tasted good. Seriously, I really appreciate all your reviews, thank you. XD

Warning of swearing and violence...

* * *

Chris slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the light in the room. He was hit with a thumping pain the back of his head; it was then that he remembered something had happened. He attempted to bring a hand up to comfort his wound, but both hands were securely fastened to the arms of the chair. Glancing down, it was the same for his feet. The circumstance was far too familiar for his liking.

Chris shook against the chair but already knew his efforts were futile. He took the time to glance around the room, at least he recognised it. Of course he would, it was his kitchen. The kitchen table was behind him, but the chair was orientated so that it was facing the worktop bench and giving him a view to the door.

A slender woman in a strapless black dress walked into his view. Chris was surprised she could walk so sturdily in the killer heels. The scene was becoming far too like his dream. But as she turned it was different, this time he could see the face between the blonde locks. Amber eyes bored into his, and as he looked he saw only evil. The same evil he felt when he would gaze upon his ex Captains eyes. There was no denying she was beautiful, big eyes with a dainty nose and generally soft features. Nevertheless Chris saw through it, undoubtedly he knew who this woman was.

"Let me guess: Alex?" He croaked his words out, throat still dry from his momentary unconsciousness.

"Bingo." Alex replied, with a small smile on her lips. Chris just sunk his head. "How are you Chris? ...It's nice to finally meet you."

She spoke so sincerely, her words sent shivers up his spine. The woman was evil; there was no doubt about that.

"What do you want Alex?" Chris growled at her. He was pleased to finally see her, because the minute his restraints came off he would hesitate at nothing to attack her. After all, she took one of the most important things from him, his daughter.

"Oh, I don't know...A leisurely chat?" Her sadistic smile didn't fade. She walked around him and slide herself up to perch on the table. Chris crooked his neck around as much as possible to see her. She gave him something to look at and slyly crossed her lengthy legs. She let out a slight chuckle, which Chris quickly frowned at. "This is quite humorous, isn't it? You see, I know everything about you...yet you know nothing about me."

He wasn't going to join in with her games. He wanted answers, but he knew damn well she wasn't going to give them.

"I knew your brother quite well, so I'm guessing you'll be just as predictable as him...You can't help it, the Wesker incompetence is probably hereditary." Alex laughed at his words. He was a cocky one, something she found quite amusing.

"Tell me this, if I'm as predictable as him...How come I'm still alive?" She spoke softly and confidently. She made a fair point, Chris was merely talking, and he knew she was different from Albert. Saying as he and the BSAA had nothing on her, he knew she was more powerful...Either that or just smarter.

"Trust me. You won't be alive for much longer."

Alex let out another chuckle at his confidence, and slid elegantly off the table. She brought herself around to stand opposite him once more. Her stare unnerved Chris, and he quickly broke the eye contact. Again, this made a smile form on her lips. It was a great boost to her ego, that even Chris Redfield was intimidated by her.

"You are a handsome man, Chris... It's a shame you choose the good side." She brought a long finger to glide along his jaw delicately. "Though I suppose that's how you get all those women, huh? Jill...And then there's Sophia, right?"

Chris frowned; Alex was only saying these things to show Chris just how much she really did know about his life.

"I can put you out of your misery, Chris... You didn't sleep with her. See I've been watching..." Chris refused to reply to her. She was playing with him, she wanted him to react. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction; instead he kept his mouth firmly closed.

Alex lowered to his level, and continued to stare intently at him. Since he didn't speak, she moved in between his legs, which enabled her to push her whole body against him, as she moved her mouth towards his ear. Before she decided to speak, her lips curved upwards as she licked them. She lay a couple of long kisses along his jaw line. He turned his head from her, but there was little he could do. But it didn't matter, her toying didn't work on him anyway.

"You asked me what I wanted..." She whispered low into his ear, "Well..."

Alex quickly stood up and walked from him towards the kitchen bench. She ran her fingers along the granite of the bench, and stopped when she got to his kitchen knife rack. After examining the knives he had, she picked a small sharp one as her favourite. She took a glance out the window, and heard a car pull up, and turned herself back towards him.

"It looks like what I want, has just arrived..." She smiled as she ran the tip of the knife along her fingers, testing the sharpness.

Chris's heart stopped. It all made sense now, he had completely forgotten. Alex wanted Jill. He was merely bait to attract her to Alex.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Alex was pleased. She got the reaction she wanted. She wanted to see Chris angry, she wanted a bit of a fight. It was all the more fun to watch him squirm.

* * *

It was after midnight by the time Jill had got away from the overly talkative younger Redfield. She didn't really mind anyway, as bad as it sounded, she was more than willing to prolong her visit to Chris. She ran a million different ways in her head as to how she would tell him about the pregnancy, but still she couldn't quite figure out the perfect words to say. After all it was going to be a life changing conversation for the both of them. She strongly believed this would be the final nail in the coffin for their relationship.

As Jill pulled the car up behind Chris's, she noticed the front door to his house wasn't closed properly. She could see a beam of light from the hall going through the slight opening. Usually she would think nothing of such a small thing, but lately she had been one edge a lot more. Maybe because she was alone, it made her more cautious and afraid.

Whatever it was, Jill began to feel very uneasy. Her father had always told her to trust her gut instincts. And at this time, her gut was telling her something was very wrong. She reached into her glove compartment, and fumbled underneath various car documents, until her hand grasped on the cold metal of her Beretta. It wasn't the safest place to keep it obviously, but Jill always thought it was better to have it just in case.

After locking the car, Jill glanced into the front window of his house. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. But as she approached the door, she could have sworn she heard either a talk or a shout of some description.

Jill griped the Beretta tighter, and used her free hand to cautiously push the front door open. She slowly stepped one foot in, and saw nothing wrong with his house.

"It's just me Chris." She called out, suddenly feeling stupid at her nervous actions. She lowered her gun and stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Jill saw the light in the kitchen and began to move towards it. As soon as she'd taken a couple of steps, a hand was placed firmly on the back of her neck, forcefully slamming her against the wall, knocking off their various pictures in the process. Jill felt another hand grip her right wrist tightly which was holding her gun.

"Relax...Why so tense?" Alex's voice drawled in Jill's ear. She increased the pressure in Jill's wrist, so much so the wrist began to turn white. Alex was surprised at how long Jill could resist dropping the weapon. But the pain became too much for Jill, and she opened her hand, dropping the gun in the process.

"Good. I suggest you don't try to do anything funny...Understand?" Jill meekly nodded. Alex removed her grip on Jill's wrist and retrieved the knife she had pocketed, placing it along Jill's neck as she led her into the kitchen.

Honestly, Jill was surprised to see Chris still alive. As he saw Jill led in, he lost it. He would not let Alex take her from him.

"You let her go! You hear me!" Chris growled and fought as much as he possibly could against his restraints, until he actually felt the rope begin to cut into his wrists, drawing blood as they did so. His attempts were futile; he merely moved the chair a little. "Alex, I swear to God, you touch her and I will kill you!"

"Hush, hush, hush, Chris..." Alex taunted him. "I'm not going to hurt her...Not yet at least. How long is it now Jill?"

Chris frowned unsure of what she was talking about. On the other hand, Jill's face dropped. How did she know? Jill was pretty certain she knew what Alex was hinting at. It made sense; of course that's why Alex would want Jill. Fear rose within her, she couldn't let Alex take this away from her. Chris's heart broke as he saw the fear in Jill's blue orbs.

"Hmmm, must be at least a month now, huh Jill?" Jill turned her face away from Alex. God, it was even longer than Jill thought, she was 5 weeks gone already. She couldn't believe herself that she had kept it from Chris. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be, Jill needed to tell him herself...This would only make things worse.

"Well in that case, you have nothing to worry about, Chris. Jill will be safe for another 8 months at least..." Another sadistic smile crept upon Alex's lips as she saw Chris realise what she was talking about.

His mouth opened. Jill couldn't even read his expression. It was hard to tell if he was angry, upset or just confused. The truth was he felt all of that. He couldn't comprehend how Jill could keep it from him for such a long time. It should have been the happiest day of his life; instead he was stuck to a chair unsure of the fate of his love and child.

"Is that true?" Chris breathed out. Jill nodded as a tear fell down her face.

Alex ignored their problems, and brought another chair near Chris. She signalled for Jill to sit, and took no time to tie left over rope across Jill's hands and feet. On normal occasions, Jill wouldn't have fought back when she had the chance. But she couldn't now, she had to think of the fate of her child. She couldn't be selfless and risk what was such an important life, not only to her but also to Chris.

"Alex, what the hell do you want? Let her go." Chris demanded, yes he was angry Jill would keep news of a pregnancy for so long. But nevertheless that was his child, he would stop at nothing to save them.

After cutting the left over rope, Alex set the knife on the table, and moved to the rack again. This time she picked out a longer knife, but just as sharp.

"My, my, Chris, you have so many questions... Well how about we play a game? See how much you really can endure..." She darted her tongue out to lick her lips, as she walked closer to him. "For each question you ask, I get to have a quick stab at you...literally."

Alex laughed slightly and ran the knife along his cheek, with not enough pressure to cut his flesh.

"Fine. Why do you need Jill?" Chris asked her. He was pretty certain Alex would kill him and he was unable to fight, but he would still try to at least find out what the hell she was planning.

Alex brought the knife to his lower arm, and as promised she broke the skin leaving a deep gash in his flesh. He immediately bit his bottom lip and let out a groan in utter pain as she did so. Jill watched helplessly, as the blood began to trickle out of his wound.

"I don't need Jill, per se...It's more I need her antibodies. And it makes it that little more interesting that she's pregnant. I would like to know how it passes along." Alex replied, unfazed by the man's staggered breath and pained expression.

...

"...Why do you need her antibodies? What are you doing with it?" Chris croaked out in between breaths. He would stop at nothing to help Jill and their unborn child, no matter how much pain he would have to suffer.

Jill closed her eyes and turned away, as she heard him scream out in agony this time. Alex had made a longer cut, one which stretched the length of his forearm. Jill held back the tears, and attempted to quietly wiggle her feet out of the restraints. The rope wasn't tied as tight and Jill saw this as an opportunity.

"I need it to test it with a virus. And then perfect said virus." Chris knew this wouldn't be easy; Alex wasn't just going to spill everything. Her information was useless it was the same as what Luke had told him. He needed to know what this virus was.

Alex quickly made multiple small lacerations on his other arm. Not enough to cause serious damage, but blood still dripped out of them, and Chris shouted out once more.

"What the fuck?" He clenched his fists, as beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Jill had been able to get her feet out, she know subtly worked on her hands which were tied behind her back.

"That was technically two questions you asked..." Alex smiled as she watched Chris weaken. His breath became more hitched, and the colour quickly drained from his face. He wouldn't collapse anytime soon, but she was sure shock would kick in eventually.

"What virus?" His voice was shaky, as he awaited his next punishment knowing they were getting worse each time. Jill had had enough, she couldn't take it. She couldn't sit and watch his inevitable death.

"Stop it Chris!" She squealed out, before Alex could inflict another cut. Her tears flowed down her face, running mascara down with them. "Alex, you want me! Not him. Let him go and I will come with you."

Alex giggled, which sent shivers up Chris's spine. He began to fear she would now hurt Jill. Because although his cuts hurt like hell, at least then Jill wasn't getting hurt.

"Well that's a mistake dear Albert made, isn't it? I can't let Chris go, because he's the only man who will ever save you. With him out of the picture, then I will have you all to myself..." Her voice was as smooth as ever as she spoke.

"Then why don't you just kill me already?" Chris asked, bringing his head up to look at her.

"Do you really not fear death?" Alex whispered into his ear.

"I fear the death of other people...Not my own." Chris always was like that, he put anyone before himself. Over the years he had seen many deaths of comrades, and although he had had the opportunity to live many more years, he would give it all up to bring them back. He just never thought about it, it was a simple matter of fact; he would sacrifice himself for the ones he loved.

"Your selflessness really is commendable Chris." Alex ran a finger lovingly along his jaw line. His total belief in altruism and courageousness really was alluring for her. She had never seen a person with such qualities...She really would enjoy killing him.

Alex thought she would play with them once more. She brought her lips tenderly against his. Jill looked away as Alex continued to kiss him, focusing on getting her hands free. She was almost there.

Chris was unable to do anything and was too weak to turn away. His eyes remained firmly opened, and moved over to look at Jill, he could see what she was doing. Quickly he began to kiss Alex back, receiving a devilish smile from her. He opened his eyes again to look back at Jill. She watched as his eyes wandered to the other knife Alex had left on the table and then back to Jill. Jill gave a slight nod, and he replied with a faint wink.

Chris let his lips part, as Alex's tongue decided to delve further. As soon as her tongue entered, he quickly brought his teeth down, biting as hard as he possibly could. Alex immediately let out a squeal and jumped away. She let out another laugh, wiping the blood from her mouth, but her face then contorted into a frown.

"You shouldn't have done that." She grasped the knife firmly, just as Jill had freed both her hands. In a swift move, Alex stabbed Chris's stomach, pulling the knife back out quickly. He gasped and gave one last look to Jill as he tried to correct his breathing, coughing up blood in the process.

Jill picked the knife from the table and pulled Alex away from him. As she turned Jill shoved the knife into her upper chest. Alex staggered and fell backwards onto the cold floor. Jill suddenly dropped the knife and ran over to Chris, falling down to her knees.

She immediately placed her hand firmly on the major cut in his stomach region, attempting to stop as much bleeding as she could. It wasn't working; instead his blood just seeped through coating her hands. His head was sunken, and she quickly brought her other shaky hand to try to keep him conscious.

"Come on, Chris. Please...Stay awake." Her voice was riddled with fear, and she hadn't even noticed the tears which fell from her eyes. She began to slap him across the face repeatedly when she got no reply. His eyes fluttered open momentarily. She breathed a sigh of relief, he was a fighter after all.

"Jill..." He could barely speak, and she could see he was close to slipping out of consciousness again. "Run."

Jill quickly stood and glanced behind her. Alex stood up from her position. For the first time, she had a sheer expression of anger. She slowly took the knife out of her chest, but then smiled. Jill looked to the wound. She could see plenty of blood, but she could have sworn the wound was healed.

Without hesitation, Jill sprinted out of the kitchen, tripping slightly in her heels as she did so. She slid on the floor and retrieved her gun from the hall, where she had dropped it. She stood up and pointed the gun in Alex's direction.

"Fun's over bitc.." Jill stopped and fell to the floor coughing, as the room filled with white smoke. Someone threw a smoke grenade. In the chaos Jill lost sight of Alex, the fog covered her sight. Jill fired the gun randomly in the directions were Alex once stood. She figured she hadn't hit anything apart from the house itself.

Panic quickly ensued, Jill could see little, and she didn't know where Alex would be coming from. As the smoke cleared slightly, Jill caught sight of two shadows quickly exiting the house. She tried once again to fire, but again missed.

Contrary to what they believed, obviously Alex wasn't alone. She was able to escape. Someone had her back covered...the question was who.

* * *

Done! Sorry for being such a violent chapter. I'm not as sadistic as I must seem, I swear, I love fluffy rabbits and everything!

Also, single hardest thing to describe, for me at least, is pain. My goodness I don't know how people do it, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.

Artichoke,

x


	19. Barely Holding On To You

_**I'm Barely Holding On To You**_

Title is from Broken by Lifehouse. Sorry for the delay, I've lost my passion for this recently. And so I'm pretty disappointed with this chapter, and it's short just to make things worse. But I hope you enjoy it anyway, and I'll get my flair back somehow, don't you worry!

Reviewers, as always, many thanks for the support... For the ones I can't thank personally. Alex, we're among friends, you don't need to lie. We all know no one, regardless of gender or sexuality, could resist the charms of Christopher Redfield, haha. As always thanks for your review! Jane, again, thank you. You've been a really great reviewer and support, I appreciate that. And finally Claire... you described Alex perfectly, haha. Thank you all.

* * *

It always seemed surreal how in a space of a few hours, circumstances could go from happy celebration to immense pain. Just hours before, everyone was together to celebrate Claire's thirtieth birthday, and as far as she knew nothing had changed. Everyone was still as happy as they were whenever they left. Strange how things could change in mere minutes.

The night was like any other one in the city, clear and cool. It was the middle of the night, and understandably Claire was snuggled comfortably in her bed. It was made more comfortable of course by the strong arm that was firmly wrapped around her.

It was times like these that she didn't worry. She felt safe, and almost peaceful. As always the serenity wasn't going to last, and the house phone began to ring loudly next to her.

Claire groaned and lifted her head groggily. The alcohol she consumed the previous night didn't help her tiredness or headache. She glanced to the clock which read 3.50 AM, and that was when the panic set in, and she woke up fully. She knew more than anyone, late night phone calls were never good. Because if someone rings in the middle of the night, then that means it can't wait till morning. And if it can't wait until morning, then that means it's urgent. And if it's urgent, then undoubtedly something bad had happened to someone she loved.

Claire quickly flipped her legs over the bed, and answered the ringing phone, standing upright as she did so.

The ruckus in the room made the man who lay next to her wake too. Luke squinted as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. He was about to speak, but held his tongue as he heard Claire talk on the phone.

He sat more upright on the bed, stretching out his tired limbs. As he watched Claire worry swamped over him too. She had a look of confusion on her face, as she listened. She began to pace the room, but at a certain moment she stopped in her tracks. The big beautiful blue eyes began to overfill with tears, and the phone she clutched in her hand was swiftly dropped in shock.

Luke immediately stood, and caught Claire before she collapsed onto the floor. He clutched her face to get answers, but she merely shook her head, and sobbed. His arms quickly held her close to him; it was all he could do. There were no words he could say to console the broken woman.

* * *

Waiting was a horrible thing. It wasn't so much the waiting itself, but the uncertainty it brought with it. Waiting gave people time to think. And in cases like these, it gave people time to think the worst. Jill mindlessly tapped the polystyrene cup in her hands, her eyes focused on some inanimate object in the waiting area. She was strong, she wouldn't cry... Not yet at least.

"Miss Valentine?" Jill snapped her head up and out of her daze, to catch eyes with a middle aged doctor in front of her. "We have the results of your blood tests. If you'd like to come with me..."

"No, I don't want to leave. Just tell me them here." Jill cut the man off sharply. There was no one else in the area at this time of night anyway. And she wasn't going to leave in case she heard more news.

The man took pity on her and slowly nodded, taking a seat next to her. He knew she had gone through a lot, and he wasn't going to aggravate her further.

"Well as I thought, you and your baby are fine. Your blood results are good. My only concern is you are slightly on the anaemic side of normal in regards to your red blood cell count. But with plenty of iron in your diet, that shouldn't pose a problem in the future..." Jill nodded as the man spoke. She was relieved that her child was okay, but she still couldn't raise a smile. "And I know we didn't get a chance to weigh you, but from looking, you seem thinner than perhaps you should be. I would just advise you to watch your diet."

Weight was the least of Jill's worries at this stage. Yes, she had been eating less since her break with Chris, but she never thought it would be a problem...She wasn't painfully thin. The doctor gave her one more glance, concerned with her distant expression. He smiled lightly and stood to leave.

"Thank you... But doctor, what about Chris?" The doctor shook his head solemnly and continued on his way. Jill brought her bloodied hands up to cradle her head, as she sobbed quietly into them.

...

It seemed more and more minutes would pass, and Jill still heard nothing. She got the occasional apologetic smile from nurses passing by, but apart from that she was alone in the hospital. She had furiously tried to remove the dried blood from her dress, but to no avail. At least her efforts wasted fifteen minutes of worrying.

"Jill?" Jill jumped as a hand was brought on her shoulder. Jake gave a sympathetic smile and took a seat next to her in the meek room. It had been a while since she'd seen him, but again a smile wasn't raised for him. "Officially, you know why I'm here... But unofficially, how are my friends doing?"

"I don't know... He's in surgery, he has been for the past hour or so...I've already talked to the police, Jake." Jill replied. She wasn't much in the mood for talking, though it did kill some time.

"As have I. They'll take care of their side of the investigation and everything. But this also concerns the BSAA, not only because you two are involved, but also if Alex is who she claims...There could be a bigger threat to humanity in the making." Jake replied, but Jill merely sighed.

"You won't find anything on her, Jake. There's nothing we can do. We don't know where she is, who she's working with...We're fighting the unwinnable war. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And we are just like sitting ducks, waiting for her next strike..."

Jake was surprised. It was hard to believe this was Jill Valentine speaking before him. The woman who had lived through so much, yet still came out optimistic. But now, things had changed. Her pessimism worried him. She truly had no faith left in her anymore. Alex had ripped all of that out of her. And the only person who could give her that faith and boost she needed wasn't there. She needed the reassurance Chris was always able to give. But without him, she just seemed empty, and almost ready to give up.

"You and Chris have taken care of one Wesker before, you can do it again..." Jake said, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"But we don't even know if he's okay..." She buried her head in between her hands once more when the fear crept upon her.

"Well why don't you go see?" Jake looked down the hall and saw what looked like Chris being led out on the stretcher from the surgery. Jill plucked her head up confused, but soon saw what caught his attention. She sprinted in her heels to the stretcher, leaving Jake behind.

Jill followed as they led Chris into a private room, and got him adjusted into the hospital bed. She stood and waited as he was attached to a drip and various monitoring devices. Once the porters and nurses had dissolved away, she swiftly took a seat next to his lifeless body.

"Will he be okay?" She asked the obvious question to the female surgeon who conducted the operation, standing behind her.

"Luckily the knife didn't hit any major organs. Slit through his stomach, but hopefully we've fixed all that. These next couple of hours count, but from my perspective, the surgery went well. Just have to wait for him to wake, and then hopefully the wounds will recover and he shouldn't have to spend too long here. But even then, it will take months until he's fully on his feet again..."

Jill could finally cry, she got the relief she needed. Although it was still uncertain, she knew Chris. He wouldn't give up that easy.

"It's technically well after visiting hours, but you take as long as you need. We all understand." The woman said to her. Amidst her tears, she gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you, for everything..." Jill whispered. The doctor smiled and nodded as she left Jill in peace with him.

It was surreal to see Chris so vulnerable. His face was sickly pale, and arms fully bandaged from where Alex had attacked him. The only movement he made was that of the gentle rise and fall of his chest. There were no more screams of agony from him as he was taunted. There was no blood on him. He had peace at last.

The thought of losing him made Jill's tears continue to flow. She honestly thought that would be the last time she saw him. As her dad said, she could lose her love so easily. She just needed a circumstance as dangerous as this to punch the reality of it into her. She would not let him go this time.

She cautiously brought one hand up to stroke his brown locks, while the other delicately held his hand. Jill wasn't that religious, but she let her head fall and rest lightly on his chest as she prayed. She prayed for help, for some sense in such a nonsensical world. Something that would make her believe that everything would be okay.

...

Jill heard footsteps and looked up to see three familiar faces stepping into the room.

"How is he?" Luke asked, from the looks of it, Claire was unable to speak. Her tears continued from the minute Jill had called. Anna quickly ran in and lowered herself down to Chris's level, her eyes welling as she saw how hopeless he looked.

"They said he should be fine." Jill croaked out, a smile playing on her lips. It seemed the happiness was contagious, and the others began to smile too.

"He'll live to be a dad for another day." Jill joked to Anna. She stood from her father and laughed light, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Claire giggled too, more out of relief than anything else. She was so worried, just to see her big brother breathing was enough to make her happy. And if Claire was happy, then Luke was too.

...

"Speaking of being a dad...I'm pregnant." Jill smiled again, but the faces of everyone else dropped.

"What?" Claire breathed. "I'm going to be an aunt?"

Jill just nodded happily.

"Awesome!" She squealed, hugging onto Luke tightly. She really was ecstatic for both of them. She knew Chris would be over the moon at being a dad again. But she was withdrawn slightly from her celebrations, when she remembered she didn't think Chris and Jill had ever got back together. Maybe the baby wouldn't be as much of a blessing to the both of them as she thought.

"Congratulations, Jill. You must be so happy." Luke said, beaming at her. He was a family man at heart, and he knew this could be the pickup Chris and Jill so desperately needed.

"That means you'll be an older sister, little missy." Jill said to Anna who was still shocked.

"Oh no, now I'll actually have responsibilities." Anna joked, but pulled Jill into a hug to congratulate her.

They all hoped that with the happy emotions in the room, it would spur on Chris to wake up. But they had false hope, he remained still.

* * *

Jill sat vigilantly by Chris's bedside since the hour he was brought in. Claire tried to persuade her to take a little time off after such a long night. But Jill was determined to be there when he woke up. So never did she leave his side. Luckily Claire brought a change of clothes for her. The doctor said it could take anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for him to fully wake. It had been four hours now, and he wasn't completely coherent. He seemed to slip in and out of consciousness. Occasionally, Jill would think he was getting up, but the drowsiness kicked in again.

Jill's tiredness had gotten the better of her, and she had wriggled herself around to half lie on the seat. She rested her head on the edge of his bed. It wasn't the most comfortable but she had got to sleep nonetheless.

"Jill?"

...

"Jill?" She lifted her head slowly at the sound of a very confused voice. Her eyes adjusted and she looked up towards the voice. She couldn't believe her eyes, when a very confused looking Chris was staring down at her.

She quickly sat upright, matting down her dishevelled locks, and smiling brightly at him.

"You're awake. I'm so glad you're okay." Her eyes filled again when she looked at him. Jill gently put her arms around him, and awkwardly found a way to hug him while he was lying down. He lightly patted her back in return.

"I was so worried Chris..." She gave a light kiss on his head, and sat back upright. She flashed him another big smile of relief, but was disheartened when her smile wasn't returned. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He croaked out. Jill could tell he wasn't. She felt him wince slightly when she hugged him. But as always Chris would never admit his pain. To him it wasn't as important as the pain of others.

"Jill, are you okay? ...And, and the baby?" He was worried to ask. He could barely remember much of the previous night, and he knew the stress wouldn't be good for their unborn child.

"I'm fine...We're both fine." Jill grinned. He closed his eyes and nodded. Words couldn't describe the relief he felt.

"And Alex?"

"She got away Chris. Someone helped her. We just don't know who." Jill replied calmly, and he looked distant. She caressed his face lightly.

...

"I love you, you know that?" Jill whispered, snapping him back to reality. She needed to let him know. She brought her face down to his and leant in towards his lips. But regrettably, he turned his face from her. She quickly retracted her hands and face, embarrassed by her own actions. He was a stubborn man; it was hard for him to forget that Jill kept news of a pregnancy from him.

Jill was hurt but she understood why he turned from her. She hadn't been given the chance yet to explain her reasoning behind keeping it from him. Plus she knew the fact that Alex was the one to tell him, merely caused more problems between them. She always wanted to do it herself.

"Chris...About the pregnancy, I wanted to tell you, I just..."

"Not now, Jill." Chris interrupted with a stern face. "This isn't the time or place... I feel like shit, and I just need time to recover..."

"I understand..." Jill was saddened at his sharpness. But she wasn't going to fight with him. He just needed time. "And I'll help you get better, I promise."

"I need time to get better...alone for a while, Jill." Jill fought back the tears and nodded. Honestly, he was heartbroken that she wouldn't tell him. They had planned for so long to have children, and when the time came, she kept that from him. His head was so messed up at this stage, it was hard for him to forgive her.

* * *

I actually hate this chapter. I really don't think I got across things they way I wanted them too, but hey ho. That's life for ya! XD

Artichoke,

x


	20. I Thought It Was You

_**I'm Looking For Love, I Thought It Was You**_

Title is from Looking for Love, by Michelle Featherstone. I'm sorry for the delay, and thank you for the reviews. For the people I can't thank, Claire thank you and no need to worry, I'm too much of a ChrisxJill shipper to keep them apart. Jane, thanks for the support. Trust me, I feel like punching Chris too, haha. Finally, Alex, you make me blush boy! They are all stubborn old mules. But thank you for the compliments. All the reviews mean a lot to me. :D

* * *

After three weeks, everyone still seemed to be on edge. With no reappearance or word from Alex, they were in a period of limbo. The BSAA and Chris, with as much help ashe was possible to give, tried desperately to gain just the slightest of lead on her whereabouts. As always, they came up short. And that put Jill in serious danger, subsequently worrying the others.

Anna was constantly petrified, not only for Jill, but for Chris. He couldn't lie to her, so she knew just as well as everyone else, that Alex was out for Chris's blood. Hours wouldn't pass without her sending a text to make sure her father was still in one piece. Especially with him being weakened, everyone knew if Alex decided to strike it would be an easy victory for her.

The less obvious worrier was Claire. She tried to keep a supportive and optimistic front for the benefit of her young niece. But she worried just as much as anyone else. And she was in danger too; it was obvious Alex wouldn't just focus on Chris and Jill. She would find anyway she possibly could to rope in and hurt anyone close or involved with them.

A light knock upon the house was swiftly followed by the door opening and a familiar man walking through. Claire glanced over her shoulder and gave a light smile, shutting the laptop in front of her down.

"I was going to pop into Chris's, but I was told Anna was with him at the moment." Luke spoke, stepping into the kitchen. He placed a light kiss on her cheek and left his hands to squeeze her shoulders lightly. "How's he doing?"

"He's getting there. It's going to take a while I think. He's still adjusting to the fact that he has to take it easy. I mean if I wasn't there to slap him on the back of the head constantly, I'm sure he would be up and running around by now."

Claire took it as her responsibility to look after Chris. She spent the majority of her time at his house cooking, cleaning, whatever needed done. But most of all, she gave him company. He was a stubborn man who hated having to be fussed over. But Claire understood her brother, so she let him do the little things he was capable of, without overdoing it.

"Yeah, he always does think he's superman, doesn't he?" Luke joked, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah. But he does say the pain isn't as bad as it was...That being said, I still see him wince if he has to walk for too long."

"You're great looking after him like this, you know that?" Luke reached over a tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear. She gave a light, yet unconvinced smile.

"Someone has too..."

He reached over a planted a tender kiss on her lips, which she hesitantly returned. He noticed her unwillingness and quickly pulled away.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked caringly. He was beginning to worry about her, she was getting a lot more distant these days. Whether it was because she didn't like him quite how she used too or it was that something else was on her mind.

"Yeah, it's just...I've been getting these strange emails..." She paused slightly, struggling to find her words. She wanted to pick words that wouldn't make the notion seem quite as crazy as she already knew it was. "Are you sure Steve Burnside was dead?"

"What?" Said person's name never came up in conversation, understandably as it was a touchy subject for her. And on top of that, Luke had already told her all he knew.

"I mean, did you see him? Was he definitely there...and dead?" His face contorted into a frown as she asked. The question really came out of nowhere.

"I've told you, I didn't see him. There would have been no need for me too, considering I was always told he was dead. I'm sorry Claire..." He reached out to clasp her shaking hand, "But this is crazy, where's all this coming from?"

"Actually it doesn't matter. You said it yourself, it's crazy..." She sighed and shook her head. "Just pretend I never said anything..."

Luke frowned. She was protective over her heart and true feelings. It was a difficult feat to get her to admit everything. Besides, Claire didn't want to seem 'crazy', she didn't want to do anything which she thought would push him away. She just didn't realise that her unwillingness to talk was already doing that.

"I have to go Luke. I'll see you later." She gave a gentle smile and leaned down to give a soft kiss on his forehead.

* * *

While Rebecca was at work, Jill had the house to herself. Though she had become pretty sick of seeing the place, it seemed all she did was stay there. Occasionally she would go out, see friends. But for the majority of the time, she just didn't have the motivation or energy. The pregnancy was far from blissful, and her morning sickness hadn't calmed down either.

Jill sat at the kitchen table, flicking through another random pregnancy book given by one of her friends. This one seemed to be talking more about calming exercises that could be done later in the pregnancy and which can involve the father too. It was a shame she hadn't seen the father for three weeks. It really made no sense to her; everything seemed to be going good with them. And she knew he would be annoyed that she didn't tell him, but honestly she never thought it would take this long for him to come around again. Hell, she hadn't even got a call or text from him to see if she and the baby were okay.

The front door rang, and Jill shouted to say it was open. Claire carefully opened the door, and ran over to give Jill a large hug.

"It's great to see you, kiddo!" Jill exclaimed, a broad smile playing over her lips. Claire would pop over occasionally just to check up on her, and it was nice to know someone still cared for her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, it doesn't matter about me! You're the important one, soon to be mom." Claire laughed and took a seat next to Jill. "How's my little nephew or niece doing?"

"Okay, I think. I haven't had any problems so far."

"And you? You're looking quite pale, Jill." Claire was concerned for her. She'd been friends with Jill for almost as long as Chris was. She always saw Jill as an older sister, definitely part of the family.

"I'm always pale." Jill shrugged and laughed it off. "But it's probably the morning sickness. God, I don't know why they call it morning sickness, because I can tell you, it's never confined to just the morning..."

"That must be irritating. But make sure you keep yourself healthy, because you're looking pretty thin too." Claire just worried about her. After all, Jill was pregnant; she had to be careful about what she did.

"I wish people would stop saying that... I'm not trying to lose weight, I've never been that way inclined. But I don't feel much like eating, and anytime I do, I just feel sicker. And even before this, I guess splitting up with Chris just made me lose my appetite." As Claire always said Chris did eat like a horse. So whenever they were still together Jill would just eat the bigger portions too. But now, she just couldn't bring herself to eat anything much.

"We're just worried about you. You know, it's not healthy to be thin. You have to eat for two, remember?" Claire joked.

"Actually, I think they denounced that idea."

"Well whatever, you still have to eat." The two laughed. And this is what Jill had missed, the fun banter between the two.

...

"...How's Chris doing, Claire?" Jill's voice became more sombre as she mentioned him. Whatever he may have felt towards her didn't matter, she still cared and worried for him. She wished she could have been there to help him through his recovery.

"He's getting better. He just has to take slow..." Jill nodded as the young girl spoke. "You know, I'm so sorry he hasn't come over here. And that he hasn't been there for you like he should have."

"You don't have to apologise on his behalf..."

"I just don't think he understands what he's doing. His head isn't in the right place. And I'm not trying to give excuses. He just hasn't thought through what he's done...But I know he loves you. He really does, you don't have to doubt that." Claire said sincerely.

Jill appreciated her words, but she still questioned why it was Chris's little sister telling her this, and not him himself.

"Claire, about why I didn't tell him... I was just scared." Jill thought Claire should know the reason, she actually thought the young girl would too have been annoyed at Jill keeping it quiet. "I mean if you were going through tough times with Luke and then suddenly found out you were pregnant...I doubt he would take it too well."

"Well considering we haven't slept together yet, no, I don't think he'd be best pleased." Claire giggled.

"You haven't had sex with him?" Jill didn't mean to sound so surprised, it was just they seemed to be getting along great.

"No, not yet... I just...I don't like to rush into things." Claire was slightly embarrassed about it, she didn't want to seem prude.

"Well that's great Claire. I really commend you for that...Besides, with blue balls, he might have more respect for you." Jill joked.

"Is that how you got Chris under your wing?" Claire was kidding, but Jill's face darkened. He was still a very touchy subject for her. "...I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"It's okay. It's just upsetting that we can't seem to be together, especially now, when I need him more than ever."

"In a perfect world, what would things be like for you?" Claire asked. It was a random question, but made Jill really think about what she'd always wanted.

"In a perfect world? I'd be married and happy to know that I'm bringing a child into a loving family." She replied.

"Married to anyone? ...Or married to Chris?"

"To Chris." Jill's voice broke as she replied quickly, she hadn't a shadow of a doubt. When they were together, she always dreamed of the ways he would ask her for her hand in marriage. He just never did. She didn't know if it was because he didn't believe in the commitment, or he just didn't think Jill was the right woman. "I'm really scared to have this kid alone..."

Claire began to see the side of Jill Valentine that only Chris had seen before. It was her vulnerable side. Tears began to well in her blue orbs. Her emotions were heightened even more with the pregnancy hormones. Claire grabbed the sides of Jill's face and smiled at her.

"You will never be alone. No matter what happens, you and the child will always have help. You have Rebecca and Carlos...And me!" Claire said, receiving a light chuckle from Jill. Claire wiped away her stray tears. "Perhaps most importantly, Jill, you have Chris. It might not look like it at the moment, but he's always going to be there for you."

It seemed hard for Jill to believe her words, but looking in Claire's eyes she had complete faith in what she spoke. Jill just prayed the young woman spoke the truth.

* * *

"Gah! No! Sit down, now!" Anna squealed at her father as he was about to stand up to get his soup. She had come around to visit him, and under Claire's instructions, to forbid him to lift a finger. Chris let out a chuckle at her anger and sat back down in the sofa.

"I can walk into the kitchen you know?" He called to her, as she fiddled in the other room.

"I'm sure you can, but that doesn't mean you're supposed too." Anna replied, walking into the living room with a bowl of soup in her hands. She set the bowl on the coffee table in front of him. "Here, if chicken noodle soup won't help your healing, then I don't know what will."

"Thanks," Chris laughed and took a couple of spoonfuls of soup. Anna looked to his arms to see the wounds.

"Your arms are looking better. They look like they're healing well." She said, looking at the areas where the stitches once were. "And how's your stomach?"

"You and Claire need to stop babying me...It's better, I swear!" He joked.

"So...if I were to poke you in the tummy, you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all." Chris replied calmly. Anna smiled and quickly moved her finger to prod him. Before she made contact, he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Yup, that's what I thought." She said smugly, now knowing his abdomen was still very painful for him. Chris merely sighed in defeat.

...

"So I haven't seen Jill visiting here recently?" Anna asked. Chris let out another sigh, and placed his bowl of soup back down, bringing his whole attention to the young girl.

"That's because I told her not too."

"...Okay. Why?" She was completely surprised by his response; to her it made no sense whatsoever.

"I don't know... I thought it was the right thing to do. It was a brash, stupid decision. I mean, bearing in mind I was just coming out of anaesthesia when I did it..." He closed his eyes, as he spoke. He was just as confused as Anna was. "I just...I want to protect her, so..."

"So you pushed her away." Anna finished his sentence.

"It doesn't make much sense, does it?" He let out a humourless laugh.

"No, not really." Anna replied truthfully. "It seems to be tit for tat. You do something wrong, she does something wrong. You both got to stop playing these childish games, especially now she's pregnant...I mean, what do you want, Dad?"

"I want Jill." It was embarrassing that his daughter was more mature than was; at least she was able to knock some sense into him.

"Well then, go get her... Are you happy she's pregnant?"

"Yeah, of course I'm happy. But her being pregnant doesn't erase everything which has happened between us."

"You're right, it doesn't...But it's a good place to start. It gives you two some time to spend time together again, and realise why you fell in love in the first place." Anna gave him a slight pat on the shoulder for encouragement.

...

"You're sixteen? You are far too wise for your age, missus." He joked.

"You can't protect her if you're not with her, Dad. With Alex still on the loose, you two really need to be careful." Chris nodded. Anna was right; he couldn't protect Jill and the child if he wasn't even speaking to her. And despite everything, they were still so important to him. The thought of anything happening to either of them, scared the man to death.

* * *

Jill picked up a small blue onesie off the shelf, admiring the smallness of it. It was crazy to think, in some months, she would have a little baby who would fit into such a cute item of clothing. It made her heart swell with happiness.

"I think it's a little bit soon for that." Carlos joked, placing the clothing back. Unlike most men, Carlos didn't mind shopping and so he decided to go out with Jill. It gave them time to do catching up.

Jill laughed, and the two walked out of the shop, back into the corridor of the mall.

"How's Sophia doing, Carlos?" Jill asked as they continued to walk.

"She's good. It was her first scan a couple of days ago. It's a crazy thing seeing the tiny baby, I tell you. I never thought I'd be the paternal one, but honestly, its mind blowing." A large smiled played on the man's lips. Already he had grown to love his unborn child.

"Bet you never thought that we'd be having this conversation." Jill joked. "Are you and Sophia okay?"

"Yeah...I know the pregnancy can put a lot of stress on the relationship, but if anything, we've got stronger through it. I think it's made us grow up a little bit more."

"Well it's about time you did." She laughed, and received a playful jab in the ribs from Carlos.

"What about you, Jill, when's your scan?"

"I told you it was later on today." She scolded him for his lack of memory, "My first one too, eight weeks..." Jill paused slightly, as she was overcome briefly with light headedness.

"Have you told Chris?" He asked.

"No. He hasn't contacted me, so I've taken that as a sign that he doesn't really care." She didn't fully believe her words, she knew he cared. She was just too stubborn to be the first one to make contact. She grimaced when the light headedness didn't disappear. She got it quite often, case of hypotension when she stood up. But usually it would disappear in a matter of minutes. She became more worried when her peripheral vision clouded over with black.

"Hey, Jill, are you okay?" Carlos asked, placing a hand around her back to keep her upright, as he noticed her sway.

"Yeah...I just need to sit for a while..." She replied weakly, reaching out to sit on the bench nearby. Before she could reach it, she was swallowed by the darkness and fell into Carlos's arms.

* * *

"Jill? I was about to call you." Chris exclaimed when he saw his phone was ringing from her. He hadn't contacted her, but neither had she contacted him. So it truly was a pleasant surprise.

"_Chris, it's Carlos." Chris frowned slightly at hearing the man's voice. "Jill's collapsed. You have to go to the hospital."_

"What? ...Is she okay?" Chris pushed himself upright and quickly grabbed his keys, before his sister had a chance to protest at him for leaving.

"_We don't know. I'm not with her; I think you should go to her..."_

"Thank you for telling me Carlos, but why..." He hadn't spoken to the man in months; there was still the underlying animosity. And Chris always figured the man still hated him. He never thought Carlos would actually reach out to him.

"_I'm going to be a father too, Chris. And if anything ever happened to that child, I would hope I would be the first person there..." _

Chris hobbled to the car as Carlos spoke. He winced at the pain his fast walking had caused to his wounds. But, his suffering was the least important thing on his mind.

"_On top of that, I may not like you, Chris. But Jill does, I know she would want you there. So hurry."_

Chris hung up the phone and went on his way.

* * *

After having slight altercations with unhelpful nurses and the occasional swearing towards them, Chris was finally led to Jill's room. Despite the pain the driving had caused to his abdomen, he was still determined to walk as fast as he could to get to her.

As he stepped into the room, he was happy to see her sitting upright in a hospital gown, with her legs dangling of the side of the bed. She cocked her head up, and her jaw opened at the sight of him standing before her. The sheer look of worry in her blue azures broke his heart right there on the spot.

"Chris?" Jill croaked out, as he had to lean slightly on the doorframe to curb the sharp pain in his wound. She was overwhelmingly happy to see him, the fact that he came meant the world to her. He obviously did care for her and their child.

Chris pushed himself off the frame and walked over towards her, pulling himself up onto the bed so he sat next to her.

"Are you okay? And our baby? ...I've been so worried, Jill." He asked, staring intently into her scared eyes.

"...I don't know." Her voice trembled and suddenly her barrier broke, and the tears poured down her face as she let out cries. Chris's face dropped.

"It'll be okay...I'm here for you." He brought his large hand to sit gently on top of hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he did so. She moved her hand slightly to allow him to intertwine his fingers with hers. She moved her head to the side so it rested carefully on his shoulder. Jill continued to sob onto his shoulder as the two waited together.

* * *

There, I'm a little more pleased with this chapter. Still haven't fully got the motivation back, but we're getting there. Kinda hope you like the last little scene, I tried to finish it a little bit like the ending of the first Resident Evil game. So hopefully someone caught onto that, haha.

Artichoke,

x


	21. Apologies

_**It's Time For Apologies**_

Title is from Apologies, by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. As always, thank you to all the reviewers. Claire, I hope the same thing, haha. Thanks lovey for the review! Alex, why thank you, I can die a happy woman now knowing I'm awesome. And the ending was more like the original I suppose, because they held hands. Thanks champ! And Jane, your reviews are so nice! I really appreciate them, and I'm glad you like the story, you're such a support. Thank you all! XD

* * *

The waiting made it feel like hours had passed. Neither spoke to each other, there was no point. They both felt the exact same worry. And although they spent weeks arguing and huffing, in the end none of it mattered. The two made a life together, and for both of them, that life would be valued higher than anything else.

Their hands remained twined together. It brought comfort to know they weren't alone in their fear. At least they had someone sitting right beside them.

Both of their heads snapped up when a doctor walked into the room. He gave a questioning look, when he saw the woman wasn't alone. But seeing as their hands were joined, he could guess who the man was.

"Miss Valentine, your results are back. And thankfully, you're okay. You're low in iron, but simple supplements can take care of that. The reason for your fainting is the lack in iron and, for a woman of your height, you are underweight as we suspected, especially considering you're pregnant...It's a vicious circle, Jill. You said you were stressed, the stress caused you to lose appetite and in turn the weight loss isn't making your light headedness any better. But these are simple things to overcome, that's the good news." The doctor spoke.

Neither Chris nor Jill raised a smile for the news. Of course Chris was ecstatic that she was okay, and nothing was dangerously wrong with her. It could have been a lot worse, both of them knew this. But before they could rejoice, they had to know the fate of their unborn child.

"And my baby?" Jill asked her voice shaking as she did so. Her tears had dried up for the meantime, but they threatened to pour once more.

"Being underweight and pregnant is dangerous, Jill, but we don't know. If you come with me to another room, we've been able to get a radiographer to take a scan and check everything is okay. You were meant to have a scan today anyway, so your midwife will be with you as well."

Chris and Jill were both gobsmacked that they had to wait longer. But the doctors couldn't give false hope. It was completely uncertain without a scan. Chris was a little hurt that Jill hadn't informed him of there ever being a scan, but they had both made mistakes, now wasn't the time for him to dwell upon it.

Jill stood, swiftly followed by Chris. The two hadn't talked, and he was unsure if she wanted him there for the scan. He got his answers, as she walked she kept a firm grip on his hand and led him close behind her.

...

After being informed as to what was going to happen and being comfortably sat down, Jill was ready for the Doppler scan to begin. Well in honesty, she wasn't ready. She was scared of the outcome. The midwife and radiographer reassured her, to comfort her. But the biggest comfort she got was from the man sitting next to her, still firmly holding her hand.

The radiographer placed the end of the Doppler unto Jill's well gelled abdomen, and began to glide it around. It was already placed onto Jill's chest, so she and Chris could hear her heartbeat so to know what the baby's would sound like. The room became silent, both parent's desperately listening for a sign of life.

"Now, just because we don't hear anything, doesn't mean the baby isn't okay. You're still very early on, and the heartbeat can be very faint." The midwife said, trying to calm the two.

The radiographer continued to trace the scanner along Jill's stomach in the hope to hear something. She paused slightly. And moved the Doppler back to the previous location, moving back and forth very slowly, until she found the point she was looking for. In the quiet room, the slightest of thuds could be heard, becoming slightly louder as the radiographer moved it just to the right position on Jill's abdomen.

Jill beamed a smile as she listened and then suddenly burst into sobs. The baby might not have been planned, but it was certainly a blessing. And the sound of the heartbeat was like sweet music to Jill's ears. Chris was just as pleased, a goofy grin was plastered over his face as he planted a couple of gentle kisses on Jill's hand.

...

After Jill recollected herself, she was prepared for an internal scan to take place. The radiographer had said it was most likely too early for an external ultrasound, and this instead was the best bet of seeing the child and seeing if there were any complications in the pregnancy so far.

"You ready mom?" Chris asked, still smiling brightly. She replied quickly with a nod, smiling just as strongly as he.

The scanner was moved until a reasonably clear image appeared on the screen. The midwife pointed to it, to show them the outline of the uterus and finally the little blob in the middle that was their child. It was tiny, barely recognisable. But they were both able to see the larger head with a small body attached.

Although she swore she wouldn't, more tears fell from Jill's eyes. Chris quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tugging her tight into his chest. This was what he had missed with Anna, the scans to show the baby growing up, to show his baby growing up. It was only a minute foetus, yet already he loved the child unconditionally.

* * *

The silent room echoed with the annoying sound of a beep. A disorientated Claire sat upright sharply on the bed, looking for the source of the irritating sound. Her eyes were lead towards her laptop, perching dangerously on the edge of the bed. She had obviously dozed off and left it on. Though looking at the time, it was the middle of the night, no wonder she fell asleep. She saved the laptop from falling, and noticed a number of instant messages were sent to her.

She squinted to focus her eyes, enabling her to read the messages. She smiled at first, but as she read through them, her face darkened and fear bubbled within her.

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: Hey, Claire. _

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: How're you feeling?_

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: Have I ever told you how sexy you look in shorts._

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: Oh you're sleeping. Don't worry about me; I love to watch you sleep._

Claire began to feel vulnerable. She was unsure how the person was watching her, and more to the point, why he was watching her. She stood up cautiously and walked to the window, taking a peek to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. She saw nothing, so quickly pulled the blinds and curtains, completely blocking the window, preventing anybody from seeing outside or in.

Another ping sound left the computer, and Claire tried to calm her racing heart and took a seat on the bed, enabling her to read the new message.

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: Aw, why'd you have to go hide away? ;)_

_Knight-In-Shining-Armour: I'm still watching you pretty girl... _

Claire frowned and slammed the laptop shut. She was beginning to get very freaked out, and undoubtedly scared. She thanked God she didn't share the house alone. Claire quickly got to her feet and slipped out of her bedroom and across the landing to get to Leon's bedroom.

She threw away her politeness and barged into the room without knocking, stirring the sleeping body from their slumber.

"Leon, wake up. I think there's someone outside or something..." She whispered her voice shaking as she did so.

"Don't be crazy, it's the middle of the night. Go to sleep Claire." He groggily replied, rolling on his side away from her.

"Please, Leon. Just take a look." She begged, pulling at his t shirt to attempt to keep him awake.

"Why..." His voice seemed to change as he spoke, and Claire's lips curved into a frown. As he turned over to face her, Claire's face suddenly became one of shock. His lips twitched into a sadistic smile, but the lips weren't those of Claire's best friend. Neither was the set of auburn hair on his head. The person before her was no longer Leon, but a very familiar forgotten seventeen year old boy...

Claire screamed and sat abruptly out of her dream. Her heart began to slow when two hands were placed carefully upon her shoulders. She slumped back onto the sofa, resting her head back on the man's lap.

"You okay, Claire?" Luke asked caringly, while patting the dampened auburn locks out of her eyes.

"Yeah, just a bad dream... What time is it?"

"About half six..." He replied, gaining comfort that her hands had stopped shaking.

"So how long was I out?" She asked, moving her head away from him, so she could watch whatever programme he had left on the television.

"Only forty-five minutes or so..."

"Gah, that long." She didn't think she had anything to do in the day anyway. Chris left his house abruptly earlier when she was looking after him. Claire just figured he was going to visit Anna or to have more Jill drama. Either way, she thought it was nothing, since she was yet to receive a message from him. Though she wasn't pleased he was leaving the house, she thought he was still being too adventurous too soon. But she knew the more she complained, the more resistant Chris would get. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You seemed peaceful...Until you woke up screaming of course."

"Good answer."

...

"So you want to tell me about your dream?" Luke asked out of curiosity. It really had spooked her.

"No...You'll just think it's crazy." Claire replied, refusing to turn to face him.

"Claire, it's a dream. They're meant to be crazy." He said, a laugh escaping his lips.

"It's not the dream itself...More the reasoning behind it."

"Okay. Well, try me." Claire let out a sigh, and sat herself upright on the sofa, taking her weight off his legs.

"Luke, I told you about the strange emails...Well, I don't think Steve is dead." She turned her face from him as she spoke. She knew the idea was ridiculous; she didn't need to see his face of horror.

"Claire, you have to let this go..." He spoke soothingly so not to aggravate her.

He could tell something was getting to her the past week, but he couldn't understand her obsession with that man. And neither did she actually, she didn't understand herself why she was so attached to Steve. Maybe it was because she just wanted to be able to save someone for once. Chris saved her, Jill, Anna and even Luke. Yet Claire couldn't seem to save anyone, Sherry was a prime example of that.

"No, Luke, he's alive. He contacted me. He was with Alex, but he wasn't dead. And the reason it's taken so long is that the government and BSAA were trying to cover what had happened. He's had to pick up an alias and everything." She spoke fast to rattle out the information she had been given in a set of emails supposedly from him. Luke could tell when he looked into her piercing blue eyes, she believed every word she spoke, but he just couldn't. He worked for Alex. Chris and Jill worked for the BSAA, yet they knew nothing...It just didn't make sense.

"Claire, this doesn't add up... It's been over ten years."

"I knew you'd think I was being crazy." She fought back; her eyes glistened with tears out of confusion and frustration.

"I never said that... I don't want to see you get hurt. This sounds more like someone taking the mick out of you, you have to be careful." Luke was a level headed thinker, and his head was clouded over with hope like Claire's, he could see the whole idea seemed farfetched.

"But he knows too much... Like he knows private things, things only he would." Luke shook his head slightly; the situation was beginning to confuse him too. He didn't want to hurt Claire's feelings, but honestly he thought it was a load of bull.

"Have you replied to these emails?"

"No, not yet...You don't think I should, do you?" Claire asked because his opinion really did matter to her. So it was important for her to know how he felt.

"I can tell you want too. I just don't want you to get your hopes up, Claire. This whole thing seems...wrong." Claire let out a sigh and wiped the stray tear. It was the reply she was expected, just not the one she wanted. "But if you think this really is him, and think somehow he didn't die...Then there's no harm in replying. But I just don't see how after so many years it's him."

Claire nodded meekly. Her life seemed to be getting better, but this had come as one hell of a surprise, sure to shake things up. At least now, Luke understood what was preoccupying her, but he began to worry why she was so attached to Steve. Especially after so many years, he began to fear she was in love...just not with him.

* * *

Jill sat comfortably on the sofa in Rebecca's house, gazing at the photo of the tiny baby. It brought a smile to her face. She didn't realise how much she loved the child until there was the chance that she could have lost it. She felt so guilty. If she had have had a miscarriage, she would never have forgiven herself. She knew now she had to be more careful.

The baby wasn't the only thing getting her smiling; it looked like now Chris would be there for the child. Whether their relationship would recover was still up for debates, but now it was a good start, at least for them to be friends.

The front door was knocked, and Jill give another smile as Chris entered into the house.

"I figured, I eat too much...You don't eat enough. So I thought I would come around." He joked awkwardly. He wasn't too sure if she wanted to see him. At the hospital things were different, they were both scared. But now, he didn't know if she wanted to be alone again. However the smile on her face told him otherwise.

"What do you have there?" She asked to the item in his hands.

"Ice-cream. I remember when my mom was pregnant with Claire she had such a craving for ice-cream it was unbelievable." He laughed.

"Thanks Chris, please tell me it's..."

"Honeycomb? Of course, I know your favourite flavour Valentine." He said, placing the large tub on the coffee table. His actions were so sweet; she found it lovely to know he still knew what she liked. In fact because of his one sentence, she actually wanted to rip the clothes off him. That was the problem with the pregnancy hormones, she was horny one minute, upset the next. "Here, I'll get some spoons."

"No, let me do that, Chris. You need to rest too." Jill demanded, pushing him unto the sofa as she stood off it to go to the kitchen. His limping hadn't gone unnoticed by her, and she always did still worry about him.

"But you're pregnant, Jill!" He argued back.

"Yeah, and you got stabbed. Currently, I'm the more active one." She smirked, coming back to sit next to him with two spoons firmly in hand. "How are you feeling, Chris?"

"Seriously? You're the one who was in hospital." Chris protested, he didn't want to talk about himself, because to him, he felt it was not important. Jill gave him a glare, forcing him to answer. "I'm getting better, don't worry about me."

"But I do..." Her voice trailed as her eyes were attracted to the deep scaring left on his arms from the attack. He caught where she was looking and quickly brought the arms of his jacket down to hide them.

"I'm fine, Jill, honestly." She gave him an unconvinced nod, and lifted the ice cream, to begin her feast.

...

"It's nice to spend time with you again..."Jill said, pushing another large mouthful of ice cream past her lips. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they just spent a night together, without all the fighting and drama.

"I should apologise, Jill. For not being there, for being stubborn... And everything with Sophia. I never wanted this. I'm sorry that I pushed you away, and ruined us." He said. Jill could have sworn she heard his voice crack as he spoke.

"I forgive you, Chris. I did a long time ago. Come on, I've been just as bad. I don't know what I was thinking with Carlos, I guess... I wanted to make you jealous. It was stupid I know, and I'm so sorry." It was nice to voice her feelings to him again. It seemed like the first time in a while, that the two could be completely honest with each other. "I love you, I always have."

"And I love you too." She gave a smile at his words. He did mean his words, his love for her never faltered, his faith did, but not his love. Jill casted her eyes away from him, and towards the photo of the scan on the table.

"Are you scared?" Chris asked in relation to the pregnancy, snapping her out of her gaze with the photo.

"Yeah, I never wanted this, you know. I mean, I love my dad, but I hated growing up with just him...And I never wanted that for my child." Her voice broke as she spoke, never did she dream of being a single mother to her child. Not only did it worry her, it upset her.

"But I'm still going to be there for them. And for you, Jill. No matter what happens with us, I'll still be a part of that kid's life..."

"But It's not the same, is it?" She asked with tears in her eyes. She already knew the answer. She knew it wasn't the same. She wanted the child to grow into a loving relationship. Not a failed one.

"The feelings are still there, Jill, between us. It just takes a little time." He said, cupping the sides of her face to brush away her tears.

"I've missed you." She whispered almost inaudibly to him between the sobs. The words meant more to him than he would have ever thought.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that?" Chris joked. He brought his face towards hers, Jill gently closed her eyes in response. He kept their faces close, with their noses just brushing against each other. Softly, he brought his lips to meet hers. And it seemed as soon as they had touched, they had separated again.

It left both of them wanting more, but they had to take it slow. At least now they knew this would be the beginning of their relationship again.

* * *

Okay, I didn't go into the details of the scan, because one: I've never been pregnant, don't plan to for a good couple of years at least either. And two: I'm not going to go into details of how to set up an internal scan, you sick perverts! Haha.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, still not my best, but it's there at least!

x


	22. I'll Be There For You

_**Just Let Me Try, And I Will Be There For You**_

Title is from Sarah McLachlan's song Good Enough.

Thank you reviewers, very kind! Those I can't personally thank: C Redfield, as always thank you for the review. You've been faithful to this story and I appreciate it. Jane! Seriously woman, you'll make me arrogant with all the compliments you throw! I kid, thank you very much, you're always so kind. BearyBeary, first off, nice name. Secondly, thank you for the review, I hope you enjoy the story. Finally, Isabelucci, no worries. That you for reviewing that time, it was really nice. And no, I'm not finished yet. Thank you for the review and sticking by the story, I hope you enjoy the rest! Thanks everyone.

* * *

Ignoring the absence of a certain Wesker, things seemed to be going pretty good. It was worrying that in the space of another ten weeks there was still no news of Alex. Her absence began to become dangerous, as people started to let their guards down.

Though good did come from the peacefulness. It gave Chris and Jill the chance to reconnect. He accompanied her to every one of her scans, and they started to spend a lot more time together. They weren't back to what they used to be, but both enjoyed rekindling their friendship. And with their rebuilt friendship, love would blossom once more.

And in the ten weeks since Jill's first scan, everything seemed to be going good with the pregnancy. She was gaining more weight, and there were no complications. Chris could even begin to notice a slight bump on her abdomen.

Chris wanted to take Anna out for a meal, he felt guilty towards her. He knew it would be hard for her, she only found her dad and now suddenly his attention was moved to another child. And she understood he had too, she was nearly a grown woman now, and she knew he couldn't give up the chance to raise a child from the beginning. Although Anna easily understood, Chris still worried that she thought he loved her less.

"You decided what you're having yet?" Anna asked, staring at the lunch menu. It was a fancier restaurant than she was used too, but Chris didn't mind. His daughter was worth the money.

"Nope."

"Oh my goodness, we have been looking at this menu for fifteen minutes, make a decision, it isn't Sophie's Choice." Chris brought his eyes up to glare at his smirking daughter.

"It's all in French, smart ass. I don't know what bloody boeuf is!" Chris snarled back, as Anna just let out a loud laugh.

"Well it wasn't my choice to come here..." He brought his head up and shot daggers at her jokily again. "And strangely enough boeuf is beef..."

"Stupid French..." Chris grumbled under his breath. "I'll just go for the steak tartare... I don't like tartar sauce, but steak is good."

Anna tried to conceal her laughter at the ignorance of Chris, but she was starving. She wasn't going to tell him what he was actually going to order, and then have to wait another half hour while Chris tried to decipher what poulet meant to change his order.

The two made their orders and thanked the waitress.

"Are you happy school's finished kiddo?"

"Yeah, but I'll miss seeing some of my friends you know..."

"I hope none of those 'friends' you speak of are boys..." Chris joked, making Anna blush ever so slightly and let out annoyed groan. "I'm just trying to protect you from the boys; I was once a horny teenager too you know!"

"Dad!" Anna let out an embarrassed grunt and buried her head in her head in her arms. It was not the topic she wished to talk to her dad about.

"Sorry, sorry!" He laughed. It was fun to see her get so embarrassed. Their relationship really had grown strong. When he first met her, he never thought they could have gotten so close.

"Okay, let's change the topic." Anna quickly said. "How are you and Jill? She still hasn't moved back in."

"We're taking it slow. She doesn't need extra stress or strain on her. So for the time, we're just being friends again."

"Yeah, like you two could ever just be friends..." Anna quipped. She saw how they looked at each other. It wasn't friendship; it was always destined to be more than that.

"Excuse me, I'll have you know, we were just friends for ten years!"

"I don't believe that...Chris, I've read all about what you had to go through, and I just can't imagine that you were just friends."

"Well it's true. With the things we had to go through... War isn't the place for love."

"Whatever you say, but I still think there was something else going on..." She said slyly.

Chris was about to speak, when the waiters came and placed the food before them. As he looked to his plate, his face contorted into a look of disgust.

"Did they forget to cook my dinner?" He asked, glaring at the plate of raw meat, topped off with a raw egg in the centre. Anna burst into laughter at his angered face. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Maybe...Look, it isn't my fault you're lacking in knowledge of other cuisines." Anna said, still giggling slightly.

"Ugh, you're too smart for your own good." He mumbled and picked up the fork to prod into his mound of raw beef.

"So, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Anna asked chirpily, chomping into her actually cooked meal.

"I honestly don't really mind. I'll be happy no matter what the outcome." Chris continued to play with his food, unsure if he was actually brave enough to eat it.

"Surely you'll be able to find out soon, no?"

"Hmm, probably. I haven't actually thought about that. Well she's eighteen weeks now or so...I should ask at the next scan when we can find out..."

"When is the next one?"

"Uhh, she has to go for an anomaly scan on the 12th of July..." Chris replied without even thinking. Anna frowned and glanced to her watch.

"That's today." Anna said. The colour drained from Chris's face.

...

"Oh, hell no!" He couldn't believe he had forgotten. He hadn't missed a single scan, yet now with one of the most important ones, he had. He chucked Anna his wallet so she could finish and pay, and quickly sprinted out of the restaurant, receiving disgusting looks as he did so.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready to go, Miss Valentine? There is time if you wish to contact someone; I mean most people like to have loved ones with them for this scan." The female sonographer said politely, as she brought in the ultrasound scanner.

Jill paused for a moment to think. She had already waited fifteen minutes, but it was clear the father wasn't going to show. She didn't know what he was doing; he could have been working for all she knew, so she wasn't going to pester him. And although she could bring a friend, there would be no one other than Chris she would want with her at this time.

"Yeah its okay, I don't think anyone's coming...Fire ahead." Jill joked, laughing slightly as she lay back on the bed and brought up her top to reveal her stomach.

"Okay, Jill. Just to tell you, this can last longer than most scans, usually twenty minutes or so. And you can watch all of it. Now, your Midwife will have told you all the details of the scan, but I'll just give a little recap. Providing the baby is in a good position, we'll be looking at possible abnormalities that the baby may have. For example, looking at the size of the head, the growth of the organs, ensuring the spine is aligned and covered... There are a lot of things, and hopefully, we'll be able to see them today. And depending on the development and again position of the baby, we could even determine the sex of the child, if you wish of course. But as always it isn't completely certain." The sonographer said, as she placed the gel upon Jill's stomach.

Jill was unsure. She had never talked to Chris about finding out the sex beforehand, but secretly she always wanted to know. But she made her decision.

"I'd like to find out, if it's possible." Jill said, with a smile on her lips.

* * *

Luke scrapped the leftover food onto the floor for Abe to quickly scrounge up, and began to clean the plates. Although Chris and Jill's relationship seemed to be improving, his and Claire's was steadily deteriorating. She spent hours upon end on the computer catching up with the man claiming to be Steve. And when she wasn't on the computer, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Just like now, at lunch. The two barely spoke to each other as they ate. She was very protective over her relationship with Steve and she wouldn't give anything away to Luke.

In the ten weeks that had passed, Claire asked him to move in with her. And he graciously accepted her offer, anything was better than living out of a hotel. She had of course consulted Leon, the owner of the house, and without a shadow of a doubt he was more than willing to let Luke move in.

"Will you please talk to me, Claire? I want to know what's going on with you, I worry..." He said honestly, sitting gently beside her at the table. She was preoccupied today, he could tell something more most have happened.

"I don't know what to say... You don't understand me, you don't understand this." She whispered into her hands.

"That's because you don't tell me anything..."

"That's because I know you think I'm being stupid." Her voice cracked slightly. She didn't understand it herself, so what were the chances Luke would understand the emotions she was feeling, with the reappearance of Steve.

"You're not stupid, Claire. I just worry about you..." He reached over and clasped her much smaller hand in his. "But I can't understand this until you tell me what your relationship with him was."

Claire hadn't given away any information about her relationship with Steve; she told Luke how she knew him but nothing more. And the reason for this was Claire herself didn't understand her feelings for Steve. In life threatening circumstances, emotions are heightened. So it was hard to decipher whether her feelings for Steve were just a spur of the moment. But after talking to him again for so many weeks, she felt they weren't. He had been dead for so many years, but talking to him again, it seemed nothing had changed. It was like this was the second chance God had intended for him and her. But on the other hand, she knew how absurd his reappearance was. And her feelings for Luke were definitely beginning to blur into the lines of love.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous, aren't you?" Claire asked. He was taken aback, but refused to answer. He knew he was jealous, any man would be considering she was being so secretive.

"Well, should I be? ...Did you love him?" Luke asked sharply.

Claire paused to think. It couldn't possibly have been love between them, but it was definitely something significant at least. She believed everything happened for a reason, and she felt her meeting with Steve so many years ago was no exception.

"It couldn't have been love, Luke. I didn't know him long enough, for God's sake."

"Then what is it? Why does he have you so strung up?" Claire broke down and began to sob. Her mind was so confused, she didn't know why. She couldn't answer his questions, because she just didn't know.

Luke's face softened and he tugged her into his chest. At least she had told him more than before. And it was never his intention to upset her. He just wanted to help and protect the woman he was beginning to fall in love with.

"He wants to meet up..." She whispered onto his shoulder.

"Do you want too?" He asked soothingly, while petting down her auburn hair.

"...Yeah, I want to know if this is real or not...But you think I'm being crazy again, right?" She pulled away so she could look into the hazel eyes.

"I think this is very dangerous...But if you want to meet him, then I can't stop you...But let me come too, so I can attempt to protect you at least." He joked.

"Thank you." She gave him a light smile and gentle hug.

* * *

Chris couldn't believe he had forgotten... such a stupid thing to do. But his mind had been elsewhere, so many things to think of, he forgot the most important date. More than anything, he was worried Jill would be angry or upset with him. That was the last thing he wanted.

Chris entered the hospital room and was surprised to see Jill turned from him, picking up her items and sorting herself out, ready to leave. He thought the scan was later than it was. But he had obviously missed all of it. He felt even worse.

"Jill? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot what date it was...And then I thought it was at half two, not two o'clock itself. I tried to get here as soon as I could, God, I'm so sorry..." Chris rambled out his words. But as soon as she turned to him, he stopped his babbling, and his face turned into one of worry.

Jill's eyes were red and puffy, trails of mascara running down her cheeks.

"Is everything okay, Jill?" Chris asked carefully, moving closer to her, to cup her damp cheeks in his hands.

His heart began to beat again, when Jill let out a smile and nodded her head quickly. Her blue filled more with moisture as she gazed into his. She brought her shaky hands up to cup his unshaven cheeks.

"...It's a boy, Chris." She whispered to him. He furrowed his brows slightly, surprised, but then let out a huge smile. One she hadn't seen from him in a long time, one of sheer happiness.

While Chris stood gobsmacked, Jill turned to reach into her bag, bringing out a small picture, and placing it into his hands.

"There's our son, Chris."

He looked at the photo, and now knowing it was a son, his son. He felt the same love he did when he looked upon Anna. Chris wrapped his arms around the woman before him, and lightly laughed into her hair.

...

The two broke their embrace, and began to walk out of the hospital.

"Do you have plans for today, Jill?" Chris asked. He knew he would have to make his absence up to her somehow.

"Actually, I planned to get some information from the BSAA regarding Alex...There was definitely something about an Alex at the Spencer Mansion, right?" Chris frowned slightly, he had half hoped Jill would have forgotten about Alex, and left those matters up to him to finish.

"Yeah, in one of the diaries, the BSAA will have the documents on file most likely...But I don't think it's a good idea, Jill. You should be relaxing; this added stress isn't going to help the baby." Chris was just worried for her, but it angered her that the baby made her incapable of doing anything. She was still fairly independent. "Let me take care of Alex."

"Chris, I have to do something. If we don't get on top of this, she'll take me and the baby...I can't let that happen."

"Okay. Just don't get too uptight about it." He was defeated; there was no point in arguing with her. He would only lose most likely anyway. "I'll come around tonight to check on you."

Jill gave a smile.

* * *

Chris arrived a little later than he had planned to Jill's. He got caught up talking to Claire, but nevertheless he came. He let himself in, and saw no sign of life. Looking upstairs, he saw Jill's bedroom light was on, so he led himself to it.

Jill was sitting at the desk, comfortably in her pyjamas, reading something intently on the laptop, so intently in fact she hadn't noticed him come in. Chris walked behind her, and placed a large bunch of lilies, her favourite flower, before her. He figured it was a nice apology for his earlier mistake.

Jill screamed as the flowers appeared in her view, and he immediate placed his hand on her shoulder to calm here.

"God! I'm pregnant, remember? What happened to being relaxed!" Jill squealed at him, he pursed his lips so not to let the chuckle escape his mouth. "...And those are very beautiful flowers, thank you Chris."

"It's quite alright." He laughed at her quick change in emotion, and sat on the edge of the bed, so he too could see the screen. "Are you still reading those documents?"

"Well I'm finished. But I think I understand now... Chris, Alex got the key to immortality." Jill said seriously. His face dropped, unsure of whether to believe the, well, unbelievable.

"What?"

"Spencer instructed her to find the key to immortality. And she's got it, she's made a virus which will make you immortal..." Her voice was riddled with fear, and she was just as shocked as Chris. "I didn't tell you before, but when I stabbed her...I...I could have sworn the wound re-healed... I know how ridiculous that sounds."

"But then, what would she be doing looking for you?"

"I don't know. She said my antibodies would stabilise the virus she talked of...But, I don't really understand..." Chris nodded his head. Jill was smarter than he, so if she didn't know, there was no hope for him.

"We should talk to Luke, he's a microbiologist or whatever he is. Surely he might understand it a little more." Chris said.

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry, Jill. It's not good for you."

"I can't help it...I'm scared." She admitted to him. Chris placed a large hand on her shoulder to give what little comfort he could.

"Come on, you should get to bed... It's getting late, Jill." She reluctantly nodded, and switched off the laptop, hoping into the bed.

Jill wrapped herself up in the duvet, and Chris leaned down to place a hand on her face.

"Don't worry, okay? I'm going to protect you and our son no matter what." Chris whispered. She nodded and gave a gentle smile to him.

As Chris retracted his hand to leave, Jill brought hers to latch onto it. He stopped in his tracks and turned back to face her, a worried expression across his features.

"Will you stay with me? ...Please." Jill said. She had spent too many nights alone, she just wanted to feel safe in his arms again. But she was worried that this was overstepping their newfound friendship. He gave her a large smile.

"Of course...But you'll have to move over fat ass, otherwise there's no way I'll fit." He joked, patting her on the thigh. Jill laughed and shimmied herself across, giving him more room to join.

Chris positioned himself on the bed, lying on his back. She turned on her side to face him, and carefully placed her hand on his chest, while burying her head into the crook of his neck, taking comfort in his warmth. Chris smiled, and traced his hands lightly along the curves of her waist, bringing it around to reside on the place where their son was growing stronger each and every day.

* * *

I will say, this story will be coming to an end soon enough. Still a good couple of chapters left, but I'm not creative enough to keep it going. Speaking of creativity, sorry for skipping months and stuff, but I'm not good enough at this writing jazz to fill in all the months of Jill's pregnancy. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. :D

x


	23. I'll Wait For You

_**I'll Wait For Love, I'll Wait For You**_

Title is from Wait for Love by Matt White. Before I thank everyone, I just want to make clear the immortality thing wasn't my idea. I knew little about Alex, so I have been using the very small article about Alex Wesker on the Resident Evil Wiki page. And on it, it says Alex was ordered by Spencer to get the key to immortality. So assuming that site is correct then Capcom came up with it, not me, because I'm not the biggest fan of the idea either haha.

As always thank you reviewers! The only one I can't thank this time round personally is Jane! As always a big thank you. And I'm glad you found Chris's forgetfulness funny, it was put in just for a little fun. Thank you for the support! :D

* * *

An indescribable set of emotions were flowing through her veins; a mixture of fear, excitement and disbelief. This was the moment she thought would never come. Generally when people are dead, they stay dead. But her emailing screamed otherwise.

Claire was seated nervously at a table in the cafe. Luke had insisted they meet in a busy place, and that he would be right beside her. And that he was. He sat with on hand to sip his coffee and the other gently lying on her leg for reassurance. She glanced to her phone again; Steve was a minute later than they had arranged. And she automatically began to think he wasn't going to show.

The door to the cafe swung open, and Claire's eyes were drawn to the man who entered. She couldn't believe it, there he was. Standing before her, was the boy she once knew. She could tell. It may have been years since she'd seen him. But it was definitely the same Steve Burnside she knew.

His hair was shorter and spiked, but still as red as it was when he was a teenager. He had filled out more, not the same scrawny boy, but now a man with a more defined chin and his shoulders had broadened with age. He looked a lot more rugged. The only feature which hadn't changed were his bright blue eyes, the same eyes that gazed at her when he whispered the three words Claire had never heard from any other man in that way. Her heart fluttered faster the longer she stared.

Steve's lips curved into a smile as he immediately recognised the now older woman before him. She had become even more beautiful with age to him. He was unsure how to greet her so merely said an awkward hello and sat opposite her and Luke.

"Steve! I can't believe it's you...This is Luke by the way." Claire exclaimed, still overwhelmed by the person before her. Steve smiled and shook hands with Luke.

"Keep it down though. I'm Nathan Stone to you." Steve joked. She could notice that his voice was deeper than she previously remembered it to be.

"Is that what you have to be called?" He had told Claire previously that he was forced to take up an alias, but Claire knew little about it.

"Yeah. It's a form of protection I suppose. Don't know what lunatics could be out there, and no doubt Alex wouldn't be pleased if she found me."

"So you just have to start a new life? Isn't that crazy after being away from...well normal life for so long?" She asked caringly towards him.

"Well yeah, it's hard. But I've got a job, and you know this is my life now. I should be thankful for finally getting free and stop living in the past." Luke frowned at the calmness of his reply. The whole situation just seemed too surreal to him. He didn't believe a word that came out of Steve's mouth. But Luke himself had been in captivity for many years as well, so perhaps his jealously of Steve made him untrusting of the man.

"Well it's probably not the best talking to me then..." Claire laughed slightly, knowing their past definitely wasn't the best time to dwell back upon.

"No, it's great to see you Claire. You know, you're just as beautiful as I remember." A slight blush flared on Claire's pale cheeks, as she twiddled with a piece of hair. Luke frowned slightly. He wasn't usually a jealous man, but Steve seemed to bring it out in him.

"...Well you two have stuff in common, both of you had to deal with Alex..." Claire said, attempting to change the topic and bring the two men closer together.

"I never met the woman actually. I was placed in cryogenic sleep, and merely tested upon. Probably why us two have never met." Steve replied, pointing between himself and Luke. Luke still stared, attempting to size the man up; he still just couldn't believe him. There was something in the back of his mind telling him this was wrong, but Claire didn't notice this. She was still wrapped up in Steve. This made Luke question his feelings and he started to belileve even more that it was his jealously bringing out these emotions.

"So that's why it took so long for you to be out in the real world after the fall of the research lab? The BSAA had to make sure you were clear?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, it's a long process. But I'm fine, no virus in me anymore." He gave a smile, which Claire quickly returned. "But they told me not to meet anyone from my past, just to be safe...But I couldn't let you go Claire. It really has been great getting to reconnect with you... I never could forget you."

Claire's heart began to flutter again. His words had such charm, even just when they were emailing he was able to flatter her, but now he was here again, the feelings were heightened even more so.

"Listen, Steve. We're going over to a friend's house tonight to catch up, do you want to come? I mean Chris will be there too..." Claire asked awkwardly, she wanted to reconnect with him. And now she knew it really was him, there was nothing holding her back. The man she thought was dead was right here in front of her. She couldn't let such an opportunity pass.

"I'd like that...Thank you, Claire." Steve stood as did Claire and Luke to bid him goodbye. He gave Claire a long look, and she beamed brightly at him. Steve laughed and quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. Claire smiled and squeezed back.

"It's great to see you again." She whispered, as he let her go and left the cafe.

Claire gave a smile and sat back down, looking up to Luke.

"What do you think?" Claire asked, still smiling. His opinion really did mean so much to her, she really wished to know his view. Luke gave a frown.

"I don't trust him..."

* * *

Chris stepped into Rebecca's house. He arrived earlier than the guests were meant too, but he wanted to make sure Jill didn't need any help with organising food before Claire and Luke came. He coughed slightly as he stumbled into the kitchen, his sight clouded by smoke.

"Jeez, Jill. And you used to complain about my smoking?" He joked.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny... I'm not used to Rebecca's oven, okay? I might have turned it up just slightly too high..." She replied, turning on the cooker fan in an attempt to remove some of the smoke filling the room.

"Please tell me that's not our dinner in there?"

"No, it's your dinner. I'm having carry-out." She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Though seriously...What the hell are you trying to cook?"

"I had a craving for chocolate brownies, okay? That's the first batch over there." Jill pointed to a tray sitting on the kitchen table. Chris picked it up, and knocked on the rock solid burnt cake.

"Well, you have an extra guest, so I hope you've made more... Plus I am not going to risk eating that." He said, throwing the burnt brownies into the bin.

"The brownies aren't for the guests. Didn't you listen to me? Chris, I'm the pregnant one! I'm the one with the cravings. They're for me alone!" Chris laughed at her. She reached into the oven to check on the next batch currently cooking. "Gah, I've waiting long enough, I'm starving..."

Jill brought out the severly undercooked brownies.

"You can't eat that, Jill. It's barely even warm! Plus you're pregnant! No raw eggs for you..." He joked, poking the raw batter. "Put it in for another five minutes and then go to town on those bad boys."

"Fine." She huffed, placing the brownies back in to cook.

...

"...So who's the extra guest?" She was curious.

"Steve Burnside apparently."

"What?"

"Well I told you about him and Claire. She and Luke met him this morning and it's the real deal. It's really him. I suppose it's not that crazy, you came back from supposed death after all..." Chris was surprisingly understanding about the situation. Claire told him everything about the messages, and he warned her to be careful meeting Steve, but he couldn't deny her the right to see him. It was the same circumstance he had to go through. No one believed him when he thought Jill was still alive, yet her she was.

"I still think it's a little weird, Chris. I just don't see why the BSAA wouldn't tell us about him?" Jill said, taking a seat at the table.

"Well you haven't been at work for a while, and it is pretty big business. They probably knew it would be unprofessional to include me, considering I sort of knew the guy..."

"...I suppose." Jill was still unconvinced; she was a less trusting person than Chris. Besides Chris wouldn't go against what his sister believed, the family had to stay together. So if Claire thought it was Steve, then Chris would have to support her.

...

"I'd say your brownies are ready now." Chris said with a smile. Jill brought it out of the oven, and carefully placed it off the tray onto a plate, setting it on the table.

"I suppose I could spare one brownie for you, Mr Redfield." Jill laughed lightly, and sat next to him.

* * *

Claire and Luke arrived as expected, they all now just had to wait for the arrival of one more person.

"Oh! We have something to tell you two!" Jill squealed happily. Claire laughed and sat upright on the sofa, awaiting the good news. Jill glanced to Chris, who was completely confused and had a large frown on his face. Jill sighed and tugged him towards her, so she was able to whisper into his ear. Claire and Luke watched as Chris's face turned from confusion into a big smile.

"You're going to love this." Chris said to his little sister.

...

"It's a boy!" Jill exclaimed, chucking the latest scan picture onto Claire's lap, not that there was that much interesting to see on it.

Claire stood and dragged her arms around both her brother and Jill, smiling brightly.

"You did good big brother! You did so good!" Claire chuckled. She was almost as excited as the parents for this child, she was ecstatic to become an aunt again.

"Congratulations both of you. That's really great!" Luke said chirpily. Although he didn't have any children himself, he was always very fond of kids. He got along great with Anna, and always hoped someday to have some of his own.

"He's going to be a beautiful boy, just like his dad." Jill said smiling. Her comment made a smile appear on Chris's features as well. The two were just still being friends for the mean time, but it was nice to know she still looked at him affectionately.

"I'm sure he will...Who is the dad by the way?" Claire joked with her, receiving a death stare from Chris.

"I don't know Claire. It could be me, but I don't know what sex is..." Chris replied sarcastically, with a sly smile forming, "I could go through the details of what we did, and then you could tell me if that was sex and I'm the dad? ..I mean first off, I took my shirt off, and then off came Jill's, so then I would begin to kiss down..."

"Stop! Ew! Okay, I get it. I shouldn't joke about the paternity of the kid, I get it..." Claire said. Chris just laughed at her; he knew how to keep her quiet.

"Right, well I'm going to go get drinks before you kill me." Chris chuckled, making his way to the kitchen.

"I'll help him I suppose." Jill replied, leaving Luke and Claire sitting.

"Ew...Brother sex is disgusting..."Claire shuddered.

"Well, you started it." Luke joked, receiving a joke punch from Claire. "So did you tell Steve a time? Or why is he so late?"

"Yes, and I don't know. I'm sure he's coming though...So I'm going to ask again, why don't you trust him?"

"Claire...How many times? I just don't. It's just a feeling, I'm sorry that I'm not as excited about this as you are..." He replied.

"It is him though. It's the same boy I knew."

"I'm sure it is..." Claire looked at him worryingly. She could tell he was jealous, or something was getting to him. She wanted to make sure Luke knew she still cared for him.

"Thank you for being her for me through this." She spoke softly, placing her hands on his face to bring him into a tender kiss.

The front door was opened, and at the sound of the door, Claire quickly pulled away from Luke. She stood up, and quickly wiped her face to ensure no lipstick had smudged, and brought Steve into an embrace.

"Sit down Steve, I'm glad you came." Steve complied and sat on the arm chair beside the sofa. Claire walked to take her place back beside Luke; he couldn't help but notice she sat slightly further from him than before.

Chris and Jill stepped back into the room. And Chris gawked at the man in front of him. Of course with time Steve would have changed, but Chris just couldn't imagine him as anything more than a young teenage boy.

"I just can't believe it's you." He said, still in shock. "Claire told me everything that happened. I'm sorry you had to go through that man."

"It's okay. It's great to see you Chris... And this must be?"

"Jill Valentine." Jill held out her hand to Steve. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You too. Thank you for letting me come here tonight." He said sincerely.

"You're welcome. A friend of Claire's is a friend of ours."

...

Jill ensured everyone had their drinks and sat at the armchair opposite Steve. Claire and Chris caught Steve up with their lives, and he talked a little about himself. Jill didn't feel very comfortable though, she didn't feel the sincerity in Steve's words. But it was hard to decipher if her emotions were justified or merely pregnancy heightened emotions.

"I still can't believe Chris Redfield is to be a father? And Claire's going to be an aunt...again." Steve exclaimed laughing. "I just remember you as a careless nineteen year old... It's crazy. I can't imagine a Redfield settling down."

Luke frowned at his words. From what he understood, Steve didn't know Claire for that long, and Chris for even less. Yet he seemed to talk like they had been best buddies for years. And in his eyes, he saw himself and Claire settling down eventually, he didn't see her as someone opposed to that.

Jill had noticed throughout their conversation, Luke occasionally furrowed his eyebrows at Steve. She could tell Luke wasn't comfortable with him.

"I'm going to get some more drinks." Jill said, standing up. She stopped momentarily to place a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Could you help me, Luke?"

"Of course."

...

"What's up, Jill?" He asked, once they were in the kitchen well out of ear shot.

"You don't like Steve, do you?" She asked abruptly. "I can see you aren't comfortable in his presence."

"Yeah, you could say that. There's just something about him..." Luke said cautiously.

"Look, I know Chris and Claire seem in awe at him, but I feel the same as you. It just doesn't add up..."

"Well I'm glad I'm not the only one." Luke laughed. He didn't feel quite as crazy now since he wasn't alone.

"We could be wrong. But I think we should just stay on guard, you know? Especially since those two are distracted with their infatuation." Jill joked. He nodded in agreement; he would have hated to see Claire get hurt and wanted to protect her.

"Also, Luke, I have to talk to you about Alex." Jill said.

"Go ahead." He sat at the kitchen table, swiftly followed by Jill.

"I found out information from the Spence Estate... Apparently the virus she has holds the key to immortality..." Luke frowned at her words, it seemed impossible. "I know it sounds crazy, but Spencer instructed her to acquire it, and she got it."

"Well she mustn't have it perfected... Otherwise why would she need test subjects." He replied.

"Exactly... I mean, do you think this information is right?"

"It could be."

"But then why would she need my antibodies? Is there any reason, microbiologically, why she would need them?" Jill asked, hoping he would have a better understanding than herself and Chris.

"The virus mustn't be stable. I don't know I was withheld information about the viruses she was working on. But I would guess, at the moment, perhaps the virus is too powerful, you know? If its job is to replace cells quicker to heal quickly or whatever, then maybe it's working too well, and obviously then the cells would multiply too quickly and almost create a tumour like mass of tissue. And if this is happening abnormally quickly in large masses it will result in death. So maybe you're antibodies will be slightly immune to the virus, and so control the rate..."

"...But I could have sworn Alex's wound re-healed. Wouldn't that mean she has already perfected it?" Jill said, receiving a shocked look from him.

"Well, then, maybe the virus works in small doses for minor injuries. And then your antibodies could stabilise the virus enough to allow more to be added to the body, subsequently meaning the virus could re-heal bigger, more dangerous wounds..." Luke paused. "It's the only thing I could think of. Whether it's right or not, the most important thing is that Alex never gets to you or your son."

"Yeah... Thank you Luke." Jill smiled, and the two went back to join the others.

* * *

Chris said his farewells to Luke, Claire and Steve, and began to wipe the coffee table to help Jill as much as he could with the tidying. He walked back into the kitchen to see Jill. A cheeky smile appeared on his lips, as he watched her backside appreciatively as she leaned over to fill the dishwasher. He still loved her, and he still loved her body. The 'just being friends' arrangement was hard on his desires.

Chris couldn't resist any longer. He sidled up next to her, and placed a gentle pat on her backside. Jill gasped and stood abruptly up. He busied himself by putting glasses away, so not to have to see her annoyed face.

"I didn't think friends slapped each other's asses?" She shouted jokily at him. Chris mumbled an apology and leaned up to put away the couple of wine glasses used previously. As he reached, Jill smacked her hand against his ass, smiling at the loud noise she was able to make.

"OW!" He reached around to hold the wound.

"See not much fun is it?" Jill smiled slyly, as he pouted at her.

"Jeez, I didn't hit you that hard! ...I was just letting you know, I still find you sexy..."He said defending himself. Jill's smile faded, making him frown as he thought he'd done something wrong.

Jill shoved herself unto him, latching onto his lips. The force of her body sent him backwards in shock, almost stumbling over if it hadn't been for the kitchen worktop. Once stable, he wasted no time to wrap his arms around her, kissing her with just ferocity as she did to him. Anna was right. They could never just be friends. Jill brought her hands firmly to run down his chest, feeling the toned muscle beneath the shirt. Her nimble fingers quickly wrapped around his belt, and started to undo the buckle and zip of his jeans.

"You don't waste time..." Chris breathed huskily, breaking their kiss.

"I love you." It was all she needed to say, it was all she wanted to say to him.

"I...I love you too...But are you sure you want to do this?" He asked breathless. Chris yelped when she grabbed him unexpectedly in a certain sensitive place. "Oh God... I take that as a yes..."

She smiled slyly and planted another kiss upon his awaiting lips. He lifted her bridal style, and carried her to her bedroom, setting her carefully upon the bed.

Not an inch of her body went untouched, and the two spent the night showing each other how much they loved one another.

* * *

All Luke's medical mumbo jumbo, I am a scientist at heart (none of this arty farty writing for me!), so I tried to make it sound as believable as a bloody immortality virus can!. Hope you enjoyed. :D

Artichoke,

x


	24. The Love I've Never Found

_**Tonight I Cry For the Love I've Never Found**_

Title is from When It Don't Come Easy, by Patty Griffin. I've altered the lyrics ever so slighty. Thank you reviewers! Jane, thank you. I'm glad you like Luke, he isn't a little cutie, ain't he? Hehe, as always thank you so much, you're always so kind. And BearyBeary...Yes, I like brownies too, thanks for that input. Bahaha. Thanks everyone!

* * *

Jill fluttered her eyes open, yawning as she did so. She stretched her tired limbs, and rolled onto her side, feeling for the form next to her. She sat upright and frowned after finding no body next to her and little heat left on the bed where he previously lay. She prayed he hadn't done a runner again like the last time the two were together. Thankfully she saw no note on the bedside table. As she stood her nose was tantalised with the smell of sausages wafting into her nostrils. She quickly made her way downstairs into the kitchen, following the source of the smell.

"Good morning." Chris said brightly as he stood over the stove. Jill couldn't help but blurt out a laugh at the fact he wore only his boxers and one of Rebecca's frilly pink aprons.

"Morning to you too... I thought you'd left." Jill slid herself up onto the workbench so she could perch on it. He left the cooking and walked to stand before her. Placing his hands to her hips, he lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on her stomach through the light fabric of her nightgown.

"I'm not going to leave you. And I'm not going to leave our son." Jill smiled at his words, wrapping her fingers into his dark locks and bringing his head up to plant a loving kiss on his lips.

"It smells good by the way..." Jill said, pulling away from him.

"Bacon, sausages, eggs...Can't beat it." He joked.

"You didn't have to go out and buy the stuff, Chris. I would have been fine with Cheerio's..."

"It was in the fridge, I didn't buy it."

"Oh...That isn't mine then. That must be Rebecca's stash." Jill said, chuckling.

"...Too late now. I'll promise to buy her more." Chris gave a lopsided grin, the grin that made him capable of getting away with anything. And the grin that she loved. It was one of the few traits of his that hadn't changed with everything they went through. She still remembered back in the STARS days when he would flash that grin after stealing her coffee. But with a smile like that, how could she punish him.

Chris's smile soon turned into a devilish one, whenever he broke eye contact with her. With Jill seated on the worktop, it made his eyes level with what he saw as her best physical assets. It was accentuated by the fact that her nightgown was fairly low cut, and he couldn't help but notice the pregnancy just made them that little bit bigger. Chris sunk his head and frowned whenever he smelt burning sausages.

"Why do you have to look so sexy at the worst of times?" Jill giggled at his agitation.

"Well...you know you could just leave the food..." Jill spoke low, in the seductive voice which sent shivers down his spine, while running a delicate finger slowly along his chest. Chris's face froze as he thought about his decision.

...

"...They're honey and mustard sausages, I'm sorry Jill." Jill could wait, the food couldn't. Plus he was always starving in the mornings. He quickly reached up to kiss her lightly on the cheek and went back to the cooker in an attempt to rescue the cremated food. Jill just giggled at him. She hoped off the bench, and took a seat at the table.

Chris took off the apron, and placed the breakfast on two plates for the both of them. As he walked towards the table, the door to the kitchen swung open, and Chris froze in shock.

Behind the door stood a petite brunette with a cropped bob. Her mouth opened as she gazed at a shirtless Chris. She couldn't help her wandering eye floating over his toned muscles. She brought her gaze back up to his eyes and immediately her face flushed with red as she noticed the knowing smirk across his face. She retracted her eye contact and quickly closed her mouth.

"It's nice to see you, Rebecca. Good morning." Chris said chirpily, setting the food down on the table. Rebecca mumbled something awkwardly. She was completely embarrassed. She had always had a slight crush on Chris, ever since the STARS days. Chris fully knew this. But it was never serious, they were just good friends. And back in STARS she was immature, and fell for the first young man who was nice to her. Obviously she had grown up now, and understood fully what real love was, but it was still hard to not be embarrassed among her first crush.

"There's enough food for you too. You should come and sit with us." Chris said, making his way back to dish up some food for the young woman.

"Thanks Chris." Rebecca greeted Jill and sat next to her at the table, they began to eat whenever Chris came back and sat opposite the two woman.

"So are you two...?"

"Yeah, I guess you're first to know. We're back together, like old times I hope." Jill said with a large smile plastered on her lips.

"Well that's great you two. Both of you really deserve to be happy." Rebecca always supported their relationship. She thought it was crazy that love could blossom from the hardships they had to live through. But it had. And both Chris and Jill were great friends to her since meeting at STARS. When Rebecca arrived Jill was the only female member, so immediately they hit it off and got along. And Chris took her under his wing; Rebecca became another little sister to him. Plus she was forever indebted to him after he helped save her in the Mansion Incident.

...

"But I'm going to miss you, Jill... It's been fun living together. I mean I am right in guessing you're going to move out?" Jill looked to Chris. They hadn't actually talked about it, but Jill would have loved to move back into their home. Besides, apart from her clothes and valuables, the majority of her things were still doted around Chris's house.

"I don't know...We haven't really thought about it..."

"I'd love you to move back in, Jill." Chris said, receiving a smile from his girlfriend. His moved his hand under the table to rest upon her leg.

"Oh!" Rebecca said shocked, as her cheeks flared up red again when she felt Chris's hand on her upper thigh. Chris immediately flicked his hand back and apologised, while Jill began to laugh at them.

"I'd love to move back in too." Jill said in between her laughs. The three continued to tuck into their breakfast.

...

"Is this my expensive bacon? It isn't for fry ups in the morning..." Rebecca said, poking at the thick cut bacon on her plate. She would admit it tasted good, but for the price of it, she was planning on keeping it to be used in a proper meal.

"Well, Chris..." Jill began to explain what had happened. But Chris quickly moved his foot to kick her in the leg to keep her quiet.

"What the hell was that for?" Once again he missed, and Rebecca squealed as his foot hit her. Chris's eyes popped, and for the second time he started apologising profusely to the younger woman.

* * *

"So how did you and Luke meet?" Steve asked the younger Redfield sitting opposite him. He was done talking about himself to Claire, so instead he wanted to know a little more about what she had been up too. Against Luke's wishes, Claire had gone to a cafe alone with Steve. She was getting pretty fed up with Luke's negativity towards Steve. She didn't feel she needed to be babied again. Contrary to how Chris and Luke acted towards her, she was a grown woman... But she just didn't realise they were trying to protect her.

"It was a strange circumstance...I actually went to him to find out about you. Then we got closer and just got on really well." Claire said.

"So you never forgot about me?"

"How could I? I was just so unsure; I needed to know what really happened to you." She replied. It was odd talking to him. He didn't seem to be the exact same boy she remembered, but she figured he wouldn't be anyway. Over time she had changed, so it would be understandable that he had too.

"Well you do now, right?" He flashed a smile, and placed a gentle hand over hers. A small blush appeared on her cheeks, as she couldn't read his actions. She couldn't tell if he was flirting, or merely being friendly. She knew he liked her before, but after so long, she didn't think he would still feel the same.

"...Maybe it's just because I'm protective over you, but I...I just don't think he's good enough for you." Claire was shocked at his words, taken aback by them. If anything, she saw herself as not good enough for Luke, never the other way round.

"Why...why would you say that?" She asked him. She wasn't sure if she was annoyed with Steve for saying it, or just confused as to why he would think it.

"I just...I don't want to come in between you two... But I just don't think he's genuine, you know? I don't think he's genuine in his feelings...I could be wrong, but he certainly doesn't act like he loves you..." Claire felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. Immediately she blinked them away. Steve put doubt in her mind. She never stopped to notice if Luke seemed as in to her as she was to him. On top of that, he had never told her he loved her. They had been together for longer now, maybe Steve was right.

"I don't...I don't think that's true..." She mumbled back to him.

"Then why is he jealous of us? I can tell he is. If he can't understand how important us two reconnecting is to you, then how can he understand you at all?" Steve raised good points. Luke didn't support her fully in this, and was always wary.

"He's just trying to protect me..." Claire argued back.

"Well I hope you're right. I hope he's protecting you...Not controlling you."

Claire had heard enough. She didn't like to hear things like that, it did nothing but make her doubt herself.

"I should go, Steve. I'll see you again sometime." Claire hastily made her way out of the shop, as a couple of stray tears fell from her blue eyes.

* * *

"That's the last of it." Chris said, as he set the final box of Jill's clothes back into their house. He refused to let Jill lift a single item on the basis of being pregnant.

It felt good to be back in her home. It had taken her long enough.

"It's going to feel good sleeping in my bed again." Jill hummed, as she looked around their house, straightening the occasional picture frames. She couldn't help but notice her favourite picture of the two of them in STARS was no longer there. She remembered Chris had broken it, but he knew how much she loved it, She would have just thought he'd have fixed it by now.

"My bed? ...Don't you mean our bed?" He teased, as he began to lift her items upstairs into the bedroom.

"No, I meant my bed. You'll be on the sofa." Jill chuckled, following him upstairs.

"Jeez, do I not even get the spare room? I have to sleep on a sofa?"

"...I was thinking actually...The spare room will be nice for baby boy." Jill said seriously. Chris let out a laugh, as Jill began to unpack her stuff.

"Little bit early for that, I hadn't even thought about it. Nice idea, I guess..." Chris said unconvinced.

"You don't sound too pleased about it? I'm just excited; I've been doing a lot of planning." Jill exclaimed.

"Meh, you know me, just can't really be bothered thinking about it." Jill raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn't sounding quite like himself. She was surprised he didn't even think of their son, considering she had been enjoying every day just thinking about motherhood.

...

"Well, have you spoken to Claire lately?" Jill asked, changing the subject as she folded her clothes to put away.

"Yeah, she's still just reconnecting with Steve. It's strange for her you know." Jill smiled, at least he seemed back to normal a little now.

"I just hope she's careful, you know?" Jill worried for Claire just as much as the rest did.

"It's Steve."

"I know, but Alex is still out there and she just..."

"Jill, relax. Don't do this. Claire's happy and we have to be supportive of what she wants." He said.

"I know..."

"Here, that's everything. You might as well take these boxes and shove them in the spare room for the mean time." Chris said, handing them to Jill.

"I'm pregnant; I thought that meant I didn't have to lift anything..." Jill joked.

"Nice try. But they're empty. Now go."

Jill rolled her eyes jokily, and took the boxes out of their bedroom and across the landing to the smaller room.

She opened the door, and immediately dropped the boxes in shock. Chris merely laughed, and slung his arm over her shoulder, as she continued to stare in awe.

...

"This is...beautiful, Chris." The whole room was already decorated more beautifully than she could have imagined. Light blue walls, with the occasional cartoon drawing on them, and in the middle was situated a delicately carved white cot. "And you said I was being early? We still have nearly five months left!"

"I know. But I was thinking about our kid, and I've been excited too!...I just wanted it to be a bit of a surprise." Chris laughed.

"I can't believe you did this. It's so amazing." Jill walked around the room, to see the little things he had done. There were a couple of shelves put up, already with his old teddy bear sitting on it. And on the bedside table, Jill's favourite picture of herself and Chris sat, placed in a new silver frame.

"I didn't have anything better to do... And I love drawing and painting, so it became a little project I suppose."

"You are so cute..." Jill said, reaching on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek. She went back down and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "I love you so much for doing all this.

* * *

Luke opened the door to the house. He was later than he thought he would be, held up at work. Since settling down in the house with Claire, he was able to get a job in a nearby hospital in the laboratories as a microbiologist, similar to the job he did back in Scotland.

He stepped into the kitchen to see Claire attempting to cook them dinner. She rarely did it, and when she did, it wasn't the best. But this time she had cookery book out, and she was reading it intently to try to give him a nice meal.

"How was work?" Claire asked.

"Okay thanks." He came over and planted a kiss on her head, "And how was your day? Did you do much?"

"I went to see Steve." Claire wasn't going to lie to him, but she knew he wouldn't be happy. Luke just sighed.

"Please be careful, Claire." Luke said gently.

"Why are you jealous? Don't you trust me?" Her voice began to break. All day she couldn't stop thinking of what Steve had said.

"I do trust you. I just don't want you to get hurt." He replied. He certainly wasn't in the mood to fight with her, and hadn't a clue why she was so on edge.

"Stop trying to control my life, okay?"

"What? ...I'm not trying to control you; I don't even know where you've got that idea from..." Luke was shocked. He didn't understand her mood swing. "Why do you do this, Claire? Why do you always try to push me away?"

She hung her head, as the tears fell, but refused to reply to him.

...

"Well...You've successfully pushed me away this time, congratulations." Luke turned on his heels to leave. He didn't want to fight, but he couldn't stay either otherwise he knew he would just get more agitated with her. Something he didn't want.

"No, Luke, please."Claire followed him and begged him not to leave. She caught up with him and tugged on his arm before he could get to the door.

Luke slung his head in defeat and turned to her. She immediately latched onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around him, and crying into his shoulder.

"Please stay." She begged in between her sobs. He wrapped his arms around her and comfortingly patted her hair. He couldn't understand her. But that's because she didn't understand herself or her own emotions.

She felt vulnerable around Luke, to the extent that she would rather push him away than have him do the same to her. But she couldn't take it if she did actually lose him. And Steve just complicated things. She couldn't tell if he was flirting or what, but if it was, then that would be dangerous for her. She knew it wouldn't be right to continue flirting with Steve, when her heart still lay with Luke.

But Claire would have to make a decision quickly and follow what she truly wanted. Because she knew neither men would wait forever for her.

* * *

Hoped you enjoyed, sorry for the little delay! I'm really shocked every time I upload this to the amount of reviews it gets. I just want to say how appreciative I am of the people who have read and reviewed the story. It's shocked me the reception it's received, I feel somewhat unworthy when there's so many other stories out there a million times better than this! But honestly, thanks to everyone...Oh! And to the people who have favourite etc! Just thought I'd say that...

x


	25. All Out Of Hope

_**The Look In Your Eye That Says You're All Out Of Hope**_

Title is from Made Of Clay, by Patty Griffin, lovely folky song right there. Thank you reviewers! And Jane, thank you! Very kind words really mean a lot to me, I'm glad you still enjoy it. And don't you worry about a late review love! XD

* * *

Even from the beginning Jill could tell this would be a good day. For one, she had comfortably moved back in with Chris, and their relationship seemed to be as strong as ever. She had also now become accustomed to her new figure; in fact she had begun to love the ever growing bump. The day was very important; Jill had now reached the seven months mark. It excited her that in perhaps less than two months she would have her own child, her own baby. Of course, the day was also important because Jill was now another day older. After thirty-five years, she was finally content and happy with her life.

Jill rolled over on the bed to nuzzle up to the man next to her. Chris let out an annoyed, early morning groan as he became more conscious. He suddenly remembered what day it was, and reached over to grasp Jill's face and pull her into a surprisingly strong kiss.

"Happy birthday." He exclaimed, detaching from her. Jill whispered a thank you and, once Chris was on his back again, rolled over to splay herself across his chest again, entwining their legs in the process. It was slightly more awkward with the large bump she now had, but she had found away to get around it and still get up close to him.

"So..." Jill began, as she laid multiple kisses along his neck and jawbone, still nuzzling into his side. "...Any chance of my present?"

"Seriously? It's ten in the morning..." Chris blurted out a laugh. It was typical of Jill. She always had to open her presents immediately. On Christmas Day, she would wake up at eight o'clock sharp just in order to open all the gifts straight away.

"Chris, you know what I'm like, please." She propped herself up onto her arm to look over him while she pleaded.

"I..I.. don't want to give it to you now, Jill." She quivered her lips and gave irresistible puppy dog eyes to him.

"Please! I love you, Chris..." He rolled his eyes at her attempt at flattery.

"Really, I just..." Jill could have sworn Chris stammered as he spoke.

"It's my birthday! Please Chris; I know it'll make me so happy..." Jill continued to beg, pulling jokily on his vest top.

"Jill, I just...I don't know if you'll like it." His nervousness made Jill flick an eyebrow up. It was strange for him to be nervous, but it seemed his demeanour had shifted. But nevertheless, Jill wanted her present, and she was willing to continue to push for it.

"You've known me for ten years, I'm pretty certain by now you should know what I like."

"Yeah but I...I...I wanted to give you it more...more...romantically... I mean I had it all planned. Please, can't I just give it to you later?" It was now Chris's time to beg with her.

"When like next week? It's my birthday today, Chris. This is as good a time as ever!" Jill giggled. Chris was defeated, he gulped and tried to hide the fact his heart was practically beating out of his chest.

"O...Okay." Chris quickly slide out of the bed and began to frantically rummage through the bottom drawer of the bedside table. Jill let out a little clap with happiness and playfully bounced herself up to sit on the edge of bed.

After a while of searching, Chris's hands grasped what he was looking for.

"Umm...Okay. Close your eyes and put out your hands." He commanded, crawling over to where she was seating.

Jill did as he said with a big goofy grin plastered on her face. Her smile faded as he began to give her the present. Instead of placing the gift in her hands, he moved both his hands over hers and lightly grasped the left hand. Already Jill's heart began to beat faster. His shaking fingers pushed an elegant ring onto her finger.

"Will you marry me?" Chris asked quietly resting on one knee, petrified to even look at her face. Jill finally opened her eyes to gawk at the beautifully decorated silver ring with a small blue diamond situated in the middle. She didn't look at Chris; she just stared in shock at the ring.

Chris looked up to her face after she didn't reply, although he could see tears forming in her eyes. Fear set in and he couldn't read her expression at all. Immediately he regretted asking, thinking he had sprung it upon her. Jill remained silent.

"I know this is soon...But I...I love you so much. I'm not saying to get married now...Not that I wouldn't want to marry you now. I would. But I...I'm saying we can wait and get married later. But I mean I'm happy to get married now, but it is soon, so later is good." Chris began to ramble because as he spoke she still didn't look at him or reply. "So I guess I'm asking you to marry me in the future...Or now, you know? I would still be happy getting married now, whatever you..."

"Yes, Chris." Jill finally interrupted him, looking intently into his fear ridden eyes.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I'll marry you! I'll marry you later, not that I wouldn't want to marry you now..." Jill teased. Chris blurted out a laugh in shock, and flashed the brightest smile she'd seen from him. She caught him unawares and grabbed his cheeks to lean down to give him a passionate kiss "It's such a beautiful ring, Chris. And this is the best gift I've ever got... Oh! I can't wait to tell everyone, especially my dad he'll be so happy for me!"

"...You might not have to tell him, you know?" Chris said with a devilish smile playing on his lips.

...

"Did you already ask him?" He smiled and nodded. "Oh, Chris, that is such a sweet thing to do."

"Yeah, I can tell you Jill, I've fought hordes of zombies, mutant Wesker...But absolutely nothing is as scary as asking Richard Valentine for his daughter's hand in marriage." Chris joked, receiving a laugh from his now fiancé.

"I love you so much." Jill pulled him up to re-join her on their bed.

* * *

Luke stood in the kitchen continuing to make the elaborate dinner he had arranged for Jill. She didn't want to do anything big for her birthday, just spend the day with her close friends. So Luke offered to make them a meal as part of her present.

After getting ready, Claire stepped into the kitchen wearing an elegant black maxi dress to offer her help to him. He gave an appreciative glance over her.

"You look beautiful, Claire." She attempted to stop the tears that threatened to form due to his compliment.

In the months that had passed, their relationship deteriorated considerably. Luke's jealousy seemed more of a problem to him than he thought, and with Steve still holding an appearance, Claire just couldn't grasp or control her emotions. Both of them had unwanted feelings, and together they just couldn't find a way for it to work. They were still together as far as anyone else knew. They still shared a bed and the house. But between the two of them, the relationship wasn't right. They never fought before, yet now a day wouldn't pass without some petty argument. Both of them could agree on one thing, they jumped into the relationship too quickly. Without a doubt, at this moment in time, their future together looked very bleak.

"Thank you." She whispered, and began to lay the table for the meal.

"Is Steve coming?" Luke asked, noticing she laid the table for a fifth person.

"Do you have to ask that every time we do something?"She replied sharply. She took his question in the wrong way, and as always, another pointless argument would unfold.

"No, but it is useful to know how many people I'm cooking for, my love." He replied sarcastically. Claire sighed, she hated when he called her 'love'. He would call her it in jest, yet he had never actually professed his love for her. Another problem Claire had with the relationship. She was insecure... there was no doubt in that.

"Well Jill invited him actually, before you accuse me of doing it." Claire spat back. Jill invited Steve as she noticed Claire had spent a lot more time with him, and Chris continually pushed Jill to get to know him better anyway.

"I find that hard to believe..." Luke muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Claire had heard him, and she wouldn't just let it slide.

"Jill isn't the biggest fan of Steve either you know. So it isn't just my 'jealously' that makes me dislike him..."

"I didn't know that... Well at least Jill has the decency to keep her feelings to herself instead of hurting me." Claire said, while fixing the vase of flowers on the table.

"You don't listen do you? I'm trying to protect you, not hurt you."

"Well stop trying to protect me! I can have friends who are guys you know? That doesn't mean I'm fucking them!" Claire snapped, turning around to face him.

"I have no problem with you having friends. I do have a problem if you won't admit your feelings towards these friends... You want me to say it? Fine, I'm jealous, okay? And I don't like being like this, I don't like being that jealous guy..."

"Well then don't..." She whispered with her voice breaking. Her anger had turned to sadness and her eyes began to fill with tears. "Don't be jealous."

"How can I not?"

Claire's silence was enough for him. Any time he confronted her she would never admit or deny any feelings towards Steve. She couldn't understand her own feelings, and it was made more difficult that Steve often openly flirted with her.

...

"I don't think I can do this anymore, Claire... The relationship isn't going anyway until you sort out what you really feel. And in the meantime I can't keep being jealous like this..." Luke regretted his words, but it was inevitable.

Claire collapsed onto one of the seats and cried onto her arm. She knew it was coming, but it still hurt just as much. Usually she would latch onto him and beg him to stay or reconsider. But this time, although it hurt her so much, she knew it was the right thing for them. They needed time.

The house doorbell rang, and immediately Claire began wiping her eyes to remove evidence of tears.

"Let's just get through this and celebrate for Jill. We'll talk more later." Luke said gently, patting her back. He left her to answer the door and she ran off to fix herself.

* * *

Luke and Claire greeted Chris and Jill. And soon after their arrival, Steve came too. Luke tried his best to be friendly, but Claire could sense the animosity between the men.

Claire decided to drag Jill into the bedroom to give her their present. She didn't particularly want to stay much longer with the group. Not just because of the tension in the atmosphere, but also it still broke her heart each time she saw Luke.

"Happy birthday, Jill." Claire said with attempted happiness, passing her a large bouquet of flowers and Jill's favourite perfume.

"Claire, thank you so much. You really didn't have too." Jill brought her into a hug, and sat the items on the desk.

"And for baby boy..." Claire reached over and retrieved a little blue soft teddy bear. "I saw it and just couldn't resist."

Claire placed the bear in Jill's hand, and it was then she noticed the ring. Her face dropped in shock, as she grabbed Jill's hand to look closer at it.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Claire said, still completely gobsmacked.

"Thanks Claire. It was pretty unexpected."

Claire's heart sunk. She saw how happy Chris and Jill were, they were going to have a baby and now they were getting married. Claire always seemed to be one step behind everyone else. But when she imagined her and Luke married, she didn't love the idea as much as she thought she would. Maybe she did have feelings for Steve, she just didn't know. But one thing was for sure, the love Chris and Jill had wasn't the same love Claire and Luke were having at this time.

"It's a perfect fit; he must have got it fitted to your size. It looks really beautiful on you." Claire said slightly disheartened.

"...Thanks, did you already know about this?" Jill asked surprised that Claire knew it would be fitted.

"No, I didn't actually. But that's our mom's ring."

"Oh, Claire I didn't know. I'm sorry..." Jill was shocked at the significance her ring actually was to the Redfield family. She never would have guessed. And obviously she didn't wish to upset Claire or disrespect their mother by accepting it.

"No, don't be Jill. I couldn't imagine any other woman wearing it." Claire said honestly.

"Thank you... And Claire, are you okay? You seem down." Jill asked, she always worried about Claire, she was a sensitive one.

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm fine." Jill gave her an unconvinced look.

"Talk to me girly." Claire frowned and her tears began again. Jill was taken aback, she didn't expect this. She immediately wrapped her arms around the younger woman and sat her on the bed, lightly patting her back.

"I think it's over between me and Luke."

"...What? But you two are great together."Jill replied softly.

"I don't know...I've driven him away. We said we'd talk about it after the dinner, but I already know what's going to happen." Claire sobbed unto Jill's shoulder. Claire appreciated having someone like Jill. As close as she was to Chris, it was hard to talk to her big brother about such things. But Jill was like the older sister Claire needed.

"Claire, I don't know what's happened, but I do know that guy is devoted to you. He's crazy about you."

"I know, but just with Steve..."

"...What about Steve?" Jill asked. Jill really liked Luke; the same couldn't be said for Steve.

"Luke thinks I like him." Claire said, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

"And do you?"

"...I don't think so." Jill sighed at Claire's response. Her heart went out to Claire, she understood fully how confusing and heartbreaking love could be. She never wanted it to be hard for Claire.

"In that case, a break might be best for you. I know it's not easy to hear, but you need to figure out what you want, or more who you want."

Claire nodded, and pulled Jill into another embrace as a thank you.

"I'm sorry for ruining your birthday..."

"Don't be stupid, Claire. I think it's best if we leave you and Luke. I'm happy to just celebrate with Chris, and we can do this some other time..." Jill said, standing from the bed.

"Are you sure?" Claire asked, receiving a nod and smile. "Thank you so much Jill. I owe you big time, soon to be sister in law..."

* * *

Claire and Jill made their way back to the kitchen to find the men standing talking with a beer in hand. Jill immediately walked over to Chris and pulled him by the arm.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked, pulling him into the living room before he had a chance to speak.

"What's up?"

"I can't accept this Chris..." Jill said, slipping the ring off her finger and placing it into his hand. Chris's eyes widened as his heart broke. Jill then laughed, realising he had misunderstood her actions. "No, I still want to marry you, you big goof! I just don't want to have this ring. It was your mom's, I can't take this."

"Jill I want you to have it. Look, my parents always told me I'd be getting the ring. It's a family heirloom; it was my Grandmother's first. My dad told me to give to the girl who makes me happy. And that's clearly you." Jill nodded, as he slid the ring back onto her awaiting finger.

"If you're sure..." Jill said. He nodded back, and she gave a smile, standing on her tiptoes to place a light kiss on his lips. "Also, I think we should leave."

"You kidding me? I'm starving..." Chris whined.

"I'll explain it later, okay? I just want to go home." Chris gave a confused nod and wrapped his arm around her waist as they went back to say their goodbyes.

...

With Chris and Jill having left, it meant Steve only remained. He could sense as well as anyone else something was wrong and decided himself to leave.

"I'm sorry this hasn't worked out...But hopefully we can do it some other time." Steve said genuinely to Luke and Claire in the kitchen. "And Luke thank you for making all this."

Luke gave him a slight smile as Claire took him to the door.

"Thanks anyway for inviting us, Claire. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well I knew something was wrong, and I could hear you sobbing you know?" He gave her a smile for reassurance.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't worry I'm fine, I'm just sorry this whole evening's ruined." Claire blushed slightly at him.

"Don't worry. Goodbye, Claire." Steve brought her into a hug, snaking his arms around her waist. She was taken by surprise, but reluctantly wrapped her arms around him, savouring the warmth and comfort of his arms.

Luke's fears were made real by their embrace. He hated being jealous, but he could see the attraction between Claire and Steve. He saw how Steve would openly flirt, receiving little blushes from Claire, and the loving look Claire would always give when she gazed into his eyes.

Claire slowly walked back into the kitchen like a pig to the slaughterhouse, she knew what was coming. She gave him a slight smile, but didn't know what to say to him.

...

"I'm sorry Claire..." He whispered. She dropped her head knowing nothing had changed, and this really was the end.

The tears began to fall and Luke walked over to hold her tight into his chest. She immediately latched onto him and sobbed. He carefully stroked her hair, bringing her comfort.

"I love you..." He finally whispered his true feelings into her ear. Claire cried even more, she finally heard the words she had longed for from him. But yet that wouldn't mend their broken relationship. "But I think your heart belongs to someone else..."

* * *

Tada. Sorry a little shorter than usual, but I didn't like this chapter much.

x


	26. Looks Like I'm Losing This Fight

_**It Looks Like I'm Losing This Fight**_

Title is from Missing You, there are plenty of nice covers, though I believe the original is by John Waite, so I'll give him the credit. As always, big thank you to the reviewers. And thank you for your concern, I am okay, I've just been very busy, and subsequently stressed, haha. Jane, thank you my dear! Chris is a wee sweet heart! I must apologise for such a wait, but here it is!

* * *

Leon sat hunched over his coffee, watching as the rain splattered along the streets of Washington. The cover from the cafe protected him from any rain while enabling him to sit outside. He had a meeting between the heads of BSAA and the government, regarding the potential threat of Alex Wesker. The government tried to argue without solid evidence there was no real threat, and she could just be someone mentally unstable. The BSAA on the other hand, fought that after having one Wesker, leaving Alex be wasn't a risk they were willing to take. Of course, neither sides really listened to any of Leon's concerns, he didn't have much of a say at all. He just tried to support the BSAA to get the government to understand the real threat she could pose to humanity. All in all, Leon was happy it was over. He was due to fly back in the evening, and even though he was used to travelling around, he always did miss home.

Leon's eyes were cast toward the roads. He had to admit it, he was a people watcher. So as he sipped the piping hot coffee, he watched as various business men and women who bustled through the street, some running faster than others to avoid getting completely soaked by the constant down pour.

One woman wearing a black trench coat stumbled in her heels directly at his feet. She latched onto the table and free chair to stabilise herself, while Leon went to her aid to place a hand on her back ensuring she was okay. Her hand let go of the item she was holding, and Leon watched as it glistened on top of his coat. Once upright, she looked briefly to him. The striking red scarf wrapped around her neck was brought up to cover her nose and mouth, protecting her from the cold. Leon looked to the piercing green eyes; he never could forget those eyes. The woman gracefully left into the crowd without a trace.

Leon smirked as he picked up the item she had left; of course she had to attach the hotel room key to a teddy bear key ring. It was her trademark after all. He hurriedly pulled out the money for the coffee and immediately made his way to the hotel.

...

Leon didn't knock on the door; he had a key after all. He casually let himself into the spacious room. The woman sat on the edge of the large double bed, with her back to him removing her long boots.

"It's been a long time Ada." Leon said smoothly, walking around to place his hands on her shoulders. He began to lay multiple kisses along her neck and jaw line, while moving one hand to snake around her slender stomach. He hadn't had a visit from her in a while, and in honesty, he had had a pretty dry spell recently, so her appearance came at the perfect time for him.

"You think that's the only reason I came here for?" Ada barely acknowledged his affection, and chucked her boots carelessly across the room.

"And what other reason would there be?" He said jokily, running his hands along the length of her arms.

"Your government friends should listen to the BSAA."

"In regards to what? ...Alex? She hasn't been seen for months, I take that as a good thing." Leon replied. He pulled away from her body, knowing she was in the mood to talk and nothing else.

"I wouldn't be so comfortable. Her disappearance is worrying, even for me... Your friends need to be careful of who they trust, they're letting their guards down far too easily..." Ada swivelled on the bed so she could see him as she spoke.

"My friends...Which friends?"

"Who do you think? Jill's pregnant, Leon. If Alex ever gets her hands on the child, say goodbye to life as we know it." Leon nodded.

He hadn't been home for a while, and although he knew of Jill's pregnancy, he never actually thought of it. Now he knew it put not only Chris but also Claire in danger. Anyone closely affiliated to Jill was under threat. And one man crept into Leon's thoughts, after all the man once worked for Alex, and Leon never trusted him anyway. Leon's distaste for Luke began to grow more and more.

"Where is she, Ada?" Leon's question was an obvious one, but yet he never really asked it before. He usually had complete faith in Ada's actions, and knew she would make the correct choice. But this time was different, if Luke was who Leon thought he was, Claire would be in serious danger. Alex would have to be stopped now, along with Ada's mind games.

"...I don't know." She shrugged, standing up from her position.

"You must know something! How else would you get all the information?" Leon said angrily. It was always the case; Ada would give vague yet correct information, but never in the detail that was really required.

"I don't know where she is." Leon's anger got the better of him, as he stood he grabbed out to take a firm grasp of her wrist.

"Cut the bullshit, Ada!" His grasp tightened more so, turning her wrist white. She swiftly turned around and grabbed his neck with her free hand.

"Don't you think if I knew I would say?" Leon removed his grasp of her, surprised by her anger. Ada was always composed, this was the first time he saw her lose her cool. "I'm not as heartless of a bitch as you think."

She immediately let go of his neck, and turned away from him.

...

"I know... I'm sorry; I just want to save my friends..." Leon said honestly, placing a hand carefully on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about them, Leon. I'll promise I'll look after them." Leon let out a smile, as she turned back to him.

...

"I've missed you Ada..."

"Cute." She replied, plucking at his cheek. He let out a small chuckle. "You're going to stay, aren't you?"

A broad smile played on his lips. Even though he knew come morning she would have disappeared into the shadows once more, how could he refuse the wishes of a pretty lady?

* * *

"Enugh!" A loud annoyed groan came out of the en-suite. Anna let out a slight giggle, but moved towards the door to lay a gentle knock.

"Is everything okay Jill?" She asked caringly.

...

"I can't fit into the fricking dress..." Jill replied grumpily, receiving another gentle laugh from Anna.

Anna had a formal party coming up for one of her close friends, and being quite the tomboy, she didn't own a decent dress. Jill of course said she should come over and Jill would poke out her old dresses for Anna to borrow. But the two got caught up trying on clothes, and Jill found an old dress she wished to try herself.

"I'm sure it's not too bad, come out Jill."

...

The latch to the door clicked, and Jill stepped out with a huge puss on her face. The blue dress looked to be sitting on her, just tight across her now larger stomach. However when she turned to the side, the zip was completely undone; Jill could barely bring it up past her waist.

"I hate pregnancy. And this dress was one I had when I went through a chubby phase...And I still can't fit in it!" Jill complained.

"There is such a thing called maternity clothes, Jill. You look great anyway!" Anna exclaimed. Although Jill herself couldn't see it, the pregnancy really was making her glow. Anna was unsure she had ever seen Jill quite so happy.

"Meh..."Jill shrugged, still fiddling with the zip. She took her eye off herself and onto the young girl opposite her. Jill gawked at Anna. She had never seen the girl in anything other than jeans, so seeing her in a dress came as a surprise. But she did look beautiful in it. "Wow, you look amazing Anna."

A small blush played on the young woman's cheeks, as she did a small twirl to show off the dress which happened to fit her perfectly.

"I do like this one...What do you think?" She asked, tugging on the bottom of the tight green dress.

"I think it's great. What is it with you and green? Just like your dad..." Jill joked.

"It goes well with our hair colour that's why." Anna replied with a laugh.

"Well I definitely approve of that dress. It's a little short, so I don't know what your father might say, but he'll get over it... In fact you might as well keep the dress, Anna. That dress hasn't fitted me in years."

"Thanks Jill...By the way, how's Claire? I haven't really seen Luke in weeks."

"Yeah, things just didn't work out between them, Anna. But she'll be okay, don't you worry."

"It's a shame, I really like Luke. I miss seeing him." Anna replied. Luke was great with Anna since her capture and in the weeks since Luke and Claire separated it meant the others never saw much of him.

"So do I. He's a good man."

"...Who's a good man?" Chris asked, poking his head around the door.

"My Portuguese lover, that's who." Jill replied keeping her face straight while Anna blurted out a laugh.

"Not funny." Chris huffed, stepping into the bedroom.

"It's a little bit funny..." Jill grumbled.

"Anna, that dress looks lovely on you. A little bit short, but I'll try to let that pass..." Jill laughed at Chris. "And Jill...The dress would be nice if it fitted you..."

Chris groaned as Jill laid a punch into his stomach.

"I'm just being honest...You still look pretty I swear!"

"That's more like it." Jill smirked, flexing out her fingers and knuckles of the fist she punched him with. "Love you Chrissy."

Jill brought her nose up to rub against his in an Eskimo kiss. Chris merely glared at her, while Anna watched bemused.

"What do you want?" He asked, knowing Jill all too well. She wasn't one just to throw out random affection for no reason. He had come to learn she would do it when her pregnancy cravings were high, and she required him to get something.

Jill got up on her tiptoes to get close to his ear and whispered,

"Cookies."

* * *

Claire finally brought herself to put the last of Luke's items in the cardboard box. It was an emotionally draining task, even though he had already taken the majority of it. A couple of weeks were a long time to be lonely. And although even before the breakup they hadn't been a solid couple, it was still heartbreaking to be living in the empty house once more.

She had barely spoken to him since he left. She figured he was probably embarrassed, after all he confessed he loved her, and she stood silently. It was one of those moments in life that Claire continued to replay in her head and every time she would say she loved him too. But it was too late now. Again, she had found a way to ruin another good relationship.

"How are you holding up, Claire?" Steve asked, leaning against the doorway to the bedroom.

"I've been better..." She croaked out, her throat painfully dry. She collapsed onto sitting on the edge of the bed. Steve gave a sympathetic look and joined her on the bed.

"You miss him don't you?"

"Of course, but it's too late now. There's nothing I can do... I don't even want to see him." Claire was able to speak for the first time without the tears beginning to form again.

"Maybe it's for the best if it wasn't working out..." Steve said quietly, receiving a nod from the saddened girl. "Honestly, you didn't know him that well after all. I mean it's not easy to trust people so readily, so maybe that was part of your problem."

"What do you mean? I've always trusted him." She didn't understand his reasoning. Trust had never been an issue on her side of the relationship.

"Well, honestly I didn't trust him. Alex is still on the loose and he worked with her for years? It's a little bit fishy for me that he suddenly just lost all connection with her..." He said honestly. Claire was one of Steve's closest friends; he'd do anything to protect her.

"Don't say that, Steve. He's been good to all of us; I don't think there's an evil bone in his body." Claire still cared for Luke more than anything, so she wasn't willing to listen to Steve's conspiracies.

"But how well do you really know him?" He queried, making Claire's trust in Luke falter.

"I know him really well, okay? I don't like you saying things like that." Claire snapped back. She was an easy influenced person. She stood up away from Steve, and placed the last of Luke's clothes into the box.

"I'm sorry Claire, okay? I'm just looking out for you..."

"Yeah..." She replied sharply, still upset.

"Come here," Steve stood and enveloped her into a strong hug, "I'm sorry. I am."

"It's okay." Claire grumbled into his ear. "I'm just touchy with everything that has happened... I shouldn't take it out on you."

Steve gave a smile and pulled away from her, placing his hand soothingly on her cheek. Before she could register what he was doing, he quickly brought his lips tenderly up to hers. Immediately she backed away. The feeling she got from his lips, wasn't the same shock she got whenever she touched Luke. It was then she realised she didn't have the same feelings towards Steve.

Claire mumbled an apology when she pulled her head away. Her eyes were drawn off Steve, and pulled towards the doorway, where a broken hearted Luke stood, a tear forming in his eyes. He shook his head in disbelief at her, and turned on heels to leave.

"Luke, wait! It's not what it looks like." Claire hurried after him, running down the stairs to catch him before he got to the front door. Her hand on his wrist made him turn to face her. "Please don't go. Nothing's happening between us, I swear."

"I just came to pick up the last couple things, and say goodbye... I didn't think you'd move on so fast, but I guess I was right about you two." He said bitterly.

"No, Luke. I haven't moved on..." Her tears began to flow, filling up her blue eyes, leaving trails of mascara along her cheeks.

"I'm leaving..."

"Please don't go." She interrupted.

"No, I mean I'm leaving for good. There's nothing here for me. I'm going back to Scotland Claire, early morning flight tomorrow." If Claire had never felt heartbreak before, she definitely felt it now. There was no hope left for them now.

...

"Goodbye, Claire." Luke spoke after she made no reply. In a second he walked out of her life. Claire couldn't breathe let alone speak. She could have sworn her heart had been physically ripped out of her.

* * *

Jill had been having restless nights recently. She figured it was just the pregnancy, she had heard of vivid dreams being part of the increased hormones. But it still bothered her. It wasn't just vivid dreams, it was vivid nightmares. Nearly every night in her dreams, she would lose the baby one way or another. And every time she woke up abruptly, skin glistening with sweat.

This night was no different. Jill shot up on the bed, out of yet another nightmare. She closed her eyes and focused on calming her breathing. As usual, every time she had a nightmare she had to check the house was safe. Jill lay herself down again to speak to Chris who was still in slumber. He was splayed on his stomach, so Jill began to lightly shake his shoulder.

"Hey, Chris. Will you wake up please?" She whispered into his ear, continuing her nudges. She furrowed her brow and began to worry when he showed no signs of even stirring from his sleep.

Jill immediately pushed him over onto his back to continue to attempt to wake him. A yelp passed her lips whenever a hand was brought to clutch her mouth tightly and another brought around to hold a knife to Jill's large bump. Tears began to fall from her eyes as the moonlight reflected off the growing pool of red next to Chris's head.

Jill was hushed and dragged away from the bedroom. Although the room was dark, she caught a glimpse of the man leading her away... Of course, he was very familiar to her. It was like another nightmare for her, except this time she couldn't wake up.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter as well, hopefully I won't be so late next chapter! All the best, my lovies. :D

x


	27. I Can't Face the Dark Without You

_**The Fight Never Ends, I Can't Face the Dark Without You**_

Title is from Without You, by Breaking Benjamin. Sorry sorry sorry for the delay! I tried desperately to write it, but I just couldn't get it the way I wanted.

Thank you very much for all the reviews, can you believe we got 12 for that last chapter? I was gobsmacked, thank you very much my friends! BearyBeary, as always thanks my lover! And Jane, I'm glad you liked Ada, she's a little fun character to shove in there every now and again I believe. As always thank you for your review and support! Enjoy! :P

* * *

Chris fluttered his eyes open, a shooting pain running along the back of head. He instinctively brought one had up to feel the wound, and immediately the hand was coated in a warm liquid. He let out a deep groan, and nearly fell back into unconsciousness until he noticed the form next to him was gone. Adrenalin kicked in and he pulled himself upright as fast as possible, ignoring the shooting pain coursing through his head. In the space where Jill should have lay, sat a neatly folded note. Chris immediately picked it up, smearing his own blood on the edges where he held it. His vision was blurred, but he was determined to read it, so through the squints he made out the writing on the note:

_102 Lakewood Road,_

_Come meet your fate, Mr Redfield._

He knew the day would come eventually; he was finally ready for it. Alex had waited long enough for them. Of course, he would use everything he had to save Jill, but knowing Alex, he knew this would be the end of the road for him. The most important thing to him was Jill and their unborn son, but whether he was to succeed in his mission to save Jill or to fail, ultimately he was convinced he would die either way. It was a horrible feeling for him to have, but it was his gut instinct. He was less scared than he thought he would be, next to the life of his love and son, his own seemed pretty insignificant.

Chris tugged himself out of the bed, and began to dress into himself as fast as possible. He knew where the road was, it was in the middle of nowhere. He was pretty certain there were miles of nothing between one house and the next, a perfect place for Alex to be hiding. He didn't want to waste any time in finding his fiancée. Though, he also knew she wouldn't be the only one in danger.

As he got changed, Chris grabbed his mobile to ring the one man who would protect his sister.

"Luke...Please, they have Jill...Please just look after Claire..." Chris's words were slurred as he spoke, the wound to the head the most likely cause.

"_...Chris? What is this? What are you talking about?" The worried voice of Luke came on the other end of the call. He had arrived at the airport, but turned back to step outside in an attempt to hear Chris easier. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Chris was drunk with the way he spoke._

"Someone...Alex, she has Jill and our son. I'm going to save her, but Claire could be in danger, please...please protect her..." Chris continued to plead, as he stumbled out of the bedroom, trying to counter the light headedness which threatened to consume him once more.

"_Chris, what's happened? You don't sound right..." _

"I got a hit on the head, that's it, I'm fine. Nothing some ibuprofen can't cure..."

"_Chris. You can't be serious. You can't go after Jill if you yourself are hurt!" Luke interrupted. He wasn't a doctor, but he had a broad knowledge of biology and he knew the dangers of head injuries._

"Luke, nothing you can say will stop me from finding Jill." Chris bit back.

"_I understand that, but let me take a look at it at least. You won't be doing yourself any favours if you go when you aren't in the right state, you could collapse at the wheel or something!" Luke tried to put sense into him. He was concerned for Jill too. But he knew as well as Chris, Alex wouldn't harm Jill, definitely not at least until the child was born._

"I'm leaving in ten minutes to find her, Luke. If you want to take a look at it, then fine, but I'm leaving whether you're here or not." Chris hung up the phone and continued to get himself ready.

* * *

Just as Chris was about to open the door, the door swung open by its self, revealing a very flustered Luke at the door. Luke pushed the much bigger man back well into the house, shoving his shoulders to make Chris fall back onto the sofa.

"Let me take a look at you, you're being ridiculous trying to go in such a state..." Luke shouted, pushing Chris back down whenever he tried to sit up. Chris was too baffled to speak, surprised by the strength within the visibly less muscular man. Chris bowed his head and let out a groan.

"What I am supposed to do? I can't believe this is happening..." Chris mumbled, and Luke moved around to examine the deep gash on the back of the older man's head.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Luke asked, pushing the hair matted with blood away from the main body of the cut. Looking at it, he knew it would need stitches to hold the gap together. He knew Chris must have been exceedingly determined, because the injury was bad enough, he was surprised the man was still standing.

"Yeah, in the cupboard over there..." Chris grimaced, as Luke touched closer the raw skin. He quickly bustled over and retrieved the kit.

"I meant what I said on the phone, you're a good guy Luke. No matter what is going on between you two, I need you to be there and look after Claire." Chris said, as Luke took out some gauze to clean away as much blood from the cut as he could.

"Why are you saying this, Chris? Nothing is going to happen to you; I thought you were the optimistic one."

"Not this time... Alex has done enough waiting around; it's time for me to die." Luke was gobsmacked, completely unable to form any words. It was a side of Chris which had never shown to anyone before. He was always positive, always optimistic, but this time, he had admitted he was defeated. His words sent fear through Luke.

"You need to look after Anna too; she's really fond of you."

"Stop this, Chris." Luke snapped to him.

"I'm going to fight to the end for Jill." Luke sighed, and placed a couple of steri-strips across the cut, which held the gap closed as much as possible. He knew it wasn't the best, considering the hair made it hard for them to stick, but it was better than nothing.

"I think I should come with you. You're right, we have to save Jill." Luke said. He wasn't a fighter, but he had a heart and determination.

"No, Luke. Go to Claire, okay? I don't know what Alex has planned. Make sure she's okay." Chris insisted.

"But, you can't..."

"No. Go to her. I'll get Jill myself." Chris replied harshly, pushing both himself and Luke out of the house.

* * *

Regrettably Luke made his way to Claire's house. Although he hated to admit it, Chris was right. There was a strong possibility she would try to hit at Claire as well. Though Luke didn't fully see what his presence would do to help, he wasn't the strongest, in fact he'd never punched anybody in his life.

He got up to the front door, and luckily still had a key. Considering it was very early morning, and the sun had yet to begin to rise, he assumed Claire would still be asleep. Quietly but quickly, he made his way up the stairs, and stumbled into her bedroom.

"Claire, you have to wake up..." Luke began, as he shook her shoulder gently. Obviously thinking she was still dreaming, a sweet smile formed on her lips from hearing his voice again. As far as she knew, she thought Luke was leaving for good. The damp patch next to her on the pillow along with the deep smudges of mascara told Luke she didn't take it well at all. In fact, Claire was surprised she even got to sleep; she literally did cry herself into the slumber.

"Claire, quickly...This isn't a dream... Jill's been taken." Claire's eye shot open as he spoke. She clambered out of the bed as quickly as possible and poked in her wardrobe to grab a coat, swiftly wrapping it around her shoulders. She figured Luke had come to tell her they were going to save Jill.

"By who? Is she okay?" Claire asked.

"Alex we presume. Chris is going to get her." Luke replied, receiving a frown from Claire. Immediately she worried for her brother, she was also angered at him for not allowing her to help as well. Claire quickly tried to sprint past Luke to leave the house and try to find Chris. Of course she didn't know where he was, but she felt the need to do something, she couldn't sit around while they risked their lives. Luke put his arm out to stop her from leaving, wrapping it around her waist as she ran into it.

"What? What are you doing? We should be going to help." Claire said frantically, pushing against the restraint of Luke's arm.

"Chris doesn't want you there, Claire. It's too dangerous; I'm here to make sure your safe. That's all he wants for you." Luke replied calmly, attempting to settle the woman. She wasn't having any of it, she hated how Chris babied her. She wasn't allowed to fight; she just had to watch as her brother suffered.

"But we have to do something! Let go of me, now!" Claire screamed against him, as she began to lightly punch against her arm and chest. He might not have been the strongest, but he had the advantage of height over the young woman.

"Claire, he has to do this on his own. He's strong, Claire, you know that. But he can't risk something happening to you as well. God, he's already lost Jill and his child!" Luke shouted back to her, taking a firm grasp of her wrists to stop her punches and outbursts.

"He's going to die Luke!" Claire screamed as her eyes exploded with a build up of tears. She fell defeated onto his chest, and sobbed. Luke removed his grasp on her wrists, and instead held her up against him.

Luke could feel the damp beginning to penetrate through his shirt, so he began to pet down her hair in attempt to give some sort of comfort. If anything it made the situation worse for her. She was worried about Chris, and as far as she knew, Luke was leaving for good. His reappearance brought back all the unwanted emotion for her.

"You have to have more faith in him, Claire. He's the hero..." Luke soothed her.

"...He's too selfless, especially when Jill's involved. There are only so many times he can dodge death." Claire whispered back, pulling her head from his chest. She took a step back, disliking how close she was to him. "Please, we have to help him, Luke."

"I really don't think that's the best idea..." He began.

"Surely the more people we have the better."

"He specifically told me not to come with him...I need to protect you."

"Luke, how will you feel if something happens to him? At least if we're with him we can try together. Sitting here isn't doing anything." Claire argued to him. Luke was beginning to break; she did have a fair point...

"...Okay, we'll go. But dear God, be careful. Chris will kill me if anything happens to you. And I'd never forgive myself." Luke said. Claire's face brightened up as he spoke. At least now, she could attempt to help her older brother.

"I'm going to get changed. Do you know where we're going?" Claire asked, as she swivelled from him and began to bring out clothes. She quickly slipped out of her pyjama bottoms.

"Yeah, I saw the address..." Luke said, being the gentleman he was, he turned away from her as she dressed, and made his way to leave the bedroom.

* * *

Chris arrived at the address, his head still splitting from the wound. The house was bigger than he expected, but just as he thought, there were no other houses for as far as the eye could see. He retrieved his trusted berretta from the holster, and immediately reloaded it. He slipped out of the car, and made his way up the large yard and lane to get to the heavy doors. It wasn't the time to knock; Chris quietly turned the knob and stepped into the spacious hall.

It definitely wasn't what he was expecting. The house barely looked lived in; the majority of furniture was still covered with grubby white sheets. Portraits on the wall did catch his eye. He could have sworn the pictures bared resemblance to those in the Spencer Mansion, in fact he was almost certain it was the same woman in the photos.

Chris tip toed across the large hall, heading for the doors immediately in front of him. He tried his best to hush the loud noise his feet made as they collided against the marble floor.

Opening the doors, he found himself in a completely different decorated room. It was like a large conservatory, with windows upon windows looking out onto the impressive garden and courtyard situated at the back of the house. Chris went and opened the glass door leading back outside. Immediately his eyes were drawn towards a figure lying on the courtyard. Chris ran down the set of stairs and sprinted over to his pregnant fiancée.

"Jill? Wake up, are you okay?" Chris asked hastily, scooping her up into his arms. A smile of relief came on his face, as her eyes fluttered open.

"Chris? I'm so glad you're okay." She breathed huskily.

"And the baby?"

"I think we're okay...Please, can we get out of here?" She pleaded, her eyes threatening to fill with water again. Usually she was stronger than this, but the fear for her child was overwhelming her.

Chris gave a nod, and brought her to her feet. A figure emerged from the intricately cut fountain that sat in the middle of the cobblestone. Chris threw an arm around Jill's stomach, and pushed her behind his body, moving the both of them slowly away from the person.

"Nice to see you again, Chris..." Alex drawled, as she moved slowly closer to them.

Chris removed the gun from his holster and held up to her, receiving little but a chuckle from her devilish lips. He had wasted enough time, he fired three shots directly for her. Swiftly she dodged them, and continued to come closer to the two of them.

She began to gain speed, and immediately Chris fired round after round, each one being avoided effortlessly by the agile woman. In mere seconds, Chris was out of bullets, and Alex was right beside them. She brought her left leg up and quickly kicked Chris right across the face, her added strength throwing him across the courtyard. Ignoring Jill, she moved over to stalk Chris again.

He tried to recollect himself, and groggily pushed himself off the ground. By which time Alex was next to him. With speed more than a mere human, she began to repeatedly kick him in the chest, shoulders and arms. She deliberately didn't use enough force to send him flying, allowing her to continue her fury of attacks.

There was no messing around this time. Chris was finally seeing her in her element. Alex was done playing games; she was going to show him the complete power she possessed.

Jill ran over to them, and brought a low kick to Alex's back. The best she could do, considering her circumstances. It worked well enough that it stopped the attack, and gave Chris time to recover. Alex turned now to Jill. Chris, ignoring the bruising which was sure to come to his chest, unsheathed his knife from his back, and stabbed into Alex's shoulder. The woman didn't even let out a groan. She quickly removed the knife from her flesh, and threw the bloodied blade away.

She brought her knee quickly up to Chris's groin, and then her palm to his chest. The force throwing him away again. She now turned to Jill, and brought the back of her hand to slap her across her face. Jill was thrown back, and hit the back of her head on the cobblestone, sending her into a state of unconsciousness.

Alex let out a small chuckle; this was easier than she thought. Chris let out a couple of coughs, and spat out the blood formed in his mouth, as he stumbled onto his feet.

A sound of a car echoed through the courtyard, and brought fear into Chris. He saw firsthand the strength Alex possessed; he just prayed it wasn't his sister.

Alex beamed a sadistic smile, knowing full well the other Redfield had come to pay her a visit,

"Let the fun begin..."

* * *

Sorry again for the wait. I really hope I'll get the next one out sooner!

Artichoke,

x


	28. Dance With the Devil

_**Say Goodbye As We Dance With The Devil**_

Title is from Dance With The Devil by Breaking Benjamin. Massive apology for the wait, seriously I can't believe myself it took so long. I just hope some of you will still stick with the story anyway.

Jane as always thank you for the review and support, so sorry for the delay. Thanks to all the reviewers and those who favourite etc.!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Let the fun begin…" The glee in Alex's voice as she spoke was enough to send a thousand shivers down Chris's spine. He ignored Alex and ran over to his unconscious fiancée, scooping her frail body into his arms.

Chris immediately started whispering words of encouragement and love to her, he hadn't even checked for a pulse, he just couldn't think straight. He glanced up with water filled eyes; Alex was still at quite a distance from the two of them. If he ran fast enough, he somehow thought he might just be able to get away from her. Stupid idea, he knew this, the added weight of Jill would make it near impossible for him to outrun anyone let alone Alex.

Alex was too powerful, Chris would lose either way. He might as well attempt to leave, because he knew there would be no way in hell he could fight her. He brought his hand carefully to grasp under Jill's legs and was about to pick her up when he felt cold metal on the back of his head.

"Don't move her." Chris recognised the voice; of course Alex wouldn't be alone. He gently placed Jill back down, as the figure pushed the gun harder against his head. He didn't turn his head, but watched as Alex moved closer to him with elegance.

She led herself behind the kneeling Chris, and brought her hand up to the gun lowering it.

"Take care of our new arrivals, I'll look after Chris." Alex drawled, removing the gun from the person's firm grasp, and placing it into her holster.

* * *

Claire stepped out of the car, shivering at the cool night. Luke came quickly around beside her.

"I still think this is a bad idea…" He whispered, taking in their surroundings. There was nothing for as far as the eye could see. No street lights even lit up the area, it was practically pitch dark, and Luke couldn't help but make out figures from the shadows.

"There's Chris's car." Claire jogged lightly up to it, looking around to see no sign of anyone in it. She tied to slow her breathing and listen carefully in hope to hear something. There was nothing but silence. She gazed up to the daunting house, and knew unfortunately this was where she would have to go.

Claire began to walk up the large house, attempting to curb the noise her shoes made on the loose stones of the yard. Luke gave a disapproving glance as she made her way on her own. He quickly moved up so he was next to her, there was no way he would let something happen to her.

As Luke too gazed at the house, his attention was drawn to what he thought was a figure to the side of the house. Immediately he grabbed Claire's arm, stopping her in her tracks. She gave a disapproving glare, until he moved his finger to point towards the form. Claire's night vision was far from good, but as she squinted she could definitely see a person move closer towards them.

Luke regretted his decision of coming; he knew no good could come from this. Instinctively his arm wrapped around Claire's waist, pushing her behind him, and the two began to step cautiously back. The mere touch of his arm sent shivers down her spine, reminding her of what could have been.

The two continued to move carefully backwards, as the figure moved slowly closer to them.

"Claire…Where do you think you're going?" The voice echoed through the deserted yard. She shot her eyes up, immediately recognising the voice. Luke had been right all along. The sweet voice was once able to bring a smile to her face, brighten up her day; it now brought fear through her body. Steve Burnside was no longer the sweet seventeen year old she once knew, the mere tone in his voice was enough to show Claire this.

"Steve?" Her voice trembled as she spoke his name. He stepped closer again, so both she and Luke could fully make his figure out.

"What's the matter Claire? Why leave so soon?" He cocked his head playfully to the side as he asked. His voice sounded so different, so much more…sadistic.

"Where's Chris?" She took a step forward as she asked, but immediately Luke pushed her back behind him.

"He's being taken care of, no need to worry." A small smile formed on Steve's lips as his blue eyes flashed amber, and he began to take strides towards the two.

"Claire, there's a knife in the glove compartment. It's not much but I need you to go get it..." Luke whispered to her calmly, as the man came closer. She gave a worried look, not wanting to leave Luke. "…Get it now."

Claire turned on her heels and sprinted down the long drive back to where they had parked the car.

"Where are you running off too love?" Steve teased, picking up his pace so he could get closer to Luke faster.

Arriving at the door, she attempted to open it, but realised Luke still had the keys. In an instant she removed the scarf from her neck and wrapped it tightly around her hand. She had seen it done before on television but wasn't quite sure what to actually do. Noticing Steve had moved faster, she began to punch the glass of the door. She let out a squeal each time her fist made contact, as it did nothing to break it. She frantically held on to the roof with one hand, and began to bring her leg up, smashing her heel against the windscreen repeatedly in a vain attempt to shatter the glass. She began to alternately kick the glass and then hit it with the palm of her hand.

"What are you going to do, Luke?" Steve teased as he moved much closer to the older man. Luke continued to back away, keeping a distance between the two.

"Stop playing around, where's Jill?" Luke demanded, shaking from the adrenalin which was pumping through his veins.

"Come on Luke, can't we just talk and get along, huh? We have a lot in common you know? For one, we have the same taste in women…."

Luke let out a low snarl. With lightning speed Steve appeared next to Luke, punching him with more force than a mere human could have. Luke was sent to the ground; he let out a loud groan, and quickly rolled himself onto his back. He stumbled to his feet, as Steve prowled closer to launch his second attack. The sound of shattering glass tore Steve's eyes away; he now set his sights on a different target.

* * *

Chris stood cautiously from his kneeled position, turning himself around to face Alex. He watched her carefully, knowing she was carrying a gun. Glancing to her hands, he noticed the gun was nowhere to be seen. Obviously she wasn't finished with her playing, times like these he wished his death would be swift. She didn't speak, just flashed a smile as she gained such great satisfaction from the fear in his eyes.

…

"Why so scared, Chris? …You're the hero right?" Alex licked her lips after her question, a devilish smile still playing on her mouth.

"You can mess with me all you want, kill me, whatever. You won't get away with this." Chris brought himself back slightly from her, ensuring Jill was still protected behind him.

"Hmmm, I'm guessing by now, Chris, you know what I'm doing. You aren't that slow…."

"We've been tracking you; we have more information than you think." Chris interrupted. It wasn't entirely true, but he wouldn't let onto another weakness they had.

"Well in that case, how can you stop someone who is immortal?" Alex let out a little laugh, smiling with glee. Chris merely let out a scoff.

"I doubt your little virus is all that great. If it was, why would you need Jill?" He was calling her bluff. If what Luke had said was true, that Jill would be needed to stabilise the virus, then Alex was not yet fully 'immortal', or re-healable.

"Don't you believe me?" She cocked her head to the side playfully, while his face remained hard as stone.

Alex let out a giggle, and swiftly pulled a hidden knife from its sheath on her leg. She brought up the sleeve of her top, revealing the sickly pale skin underneath. Running the sharp edge of the knife along her forearm, the hairs began to stand upright at the cold metal. In a smooth and steady rate, she punctured through her skin, breaking the barrier, and led the knife along to make a couple of inches long gash.

She may not have let out a whimper or any sound at all, but underneath the façade, Chris could have sworn he saw her flinch just a little. He watched as the blood trickled out of the wound. But in mere seconds, the destroyed cells were remade and began to cover back over the wound, forming a scab like mound, until finally, the skin was completely reformed. Had the blood still not have been dried on her arms, there was no evidence whatsoever of there ever being a wound.

Chris stood gobsmacked; it was something he had never seen before, certainly a real wonder. Although he saw it with his own two eyes, he still doubted the power or ability the virus actually had. If it was that perfect, he couldn't understand what Jill was to do with it.

"Impressed?"

Her words were replied with a roll of his eyes. He didn't want to play her games, she wasn't worth the effort.

"Come on Chris. It's not fun when it's just me…Won't you even fight me?" His face remained stern. "Won't you even fight for little Jill?"

Alex gave a coy smile, and moved around closer to him, and so bringing herself closer to the slump body of his fiancée. Alex knew what buttons to press. She took one step closer to Jill, and immediately Chris's strong hand grasped onto her wrist, making the skin white underneath his powerful hold and stopping her from getting any closer to the unconscious woman.

"I will have _some_ fun with her…But you know who I think I'll really enjoy having fun with? Your son…Isn't it quite ironic? The millions of lives saved by his father will be destroyed by his own hands... I will make your child into the devil."

Chris lost it. With such speed that even Alex couldn't keep up with, he grabbed her forcefully by the collar and began to punch repeatedly into her face. When she came to her senses, she let out a little laugh in between his hits. This was the fight she wanted.

* * *

Steve turned from Luke and sprinted with inhumanly speed down to the car, where Claire had been able to break the windscreen. She saw him coming, and frantically clambered onto the bonnet of the car, and tried to lean in to grab the knife from the glove box.

As she leant over, Steve got to her and grabbed the foot which remained on the ground, making her squeal out in fear. With much ease, he tugged her away from the knife before she could grab it, and shoved her off the car and onto the ground.

With the adrenalin pumping through his veins, Luke quickly jolted down the path Steve had taken. He grabbed the younger man's shoulders and forcefully pulled him off Claire. His shirt came slightly off his shoulder with the aggression, revealing a small rectangular red device. Immediately Luke recognised it. It administered P30; the same chemical he had heard was used on Jill. He had altered the P30 himself, making it much more concentrated; obviously these changes meant a smaller device could be used.

As Steve turned to him, Luke planted a strong punch onto his face, sending him backwards. Being the first time he had punched someone, immediately he had to shake his hand attempting to curb the pain which shot up his arm.

Luke gave Claire the time to recollect herself; she quickly jumped back up and reached in to place her hands around the kitchen knife.

Luke grabbed Steve from his stunned state, and pushed him against the car, attempting to hold the furious man in place by the shoulders.

"Claire, get the device!" Luke shouted, as he tried to hold down Steve and avoid the hits the man tried to give.

She gave a nod, and brought herself quickly over to Steve, dodging a swing he gave to her. She too recognised the device, knowing this was what was used on Jill. She grabbed his shoulder, and brought the knife to run around the small object, breaking it from the skin, and chucking it to the ground.

…

Steve collapsed onto Luke's shoulders briefly. Getting his strength back, he then pushed himself off Luke, giving the man a confused look. Steve cowered back against the car, and looked all around him to Claire and Luke, the worried look never leaving his face.

"…Steve?" Claire whispered, moving a small step closer to him. Steve immediately cowered further away. Looking up, he caught her eyes. He would never be able to forget those piercing blue orbs.

"Claire?" He squinted as he looked at her, not fully recognising the woman.

"It's okay Steve. We're going to help you." She spoke softly.

"But…But where am I? I…I don't understand… Who are you?" He asked looking to Luke, while rubbing the wound on his shoulder.

Claire's heart sank.

"I…I really…don't understand…" Steve mumbled.

…

"How old are you, Steve?" Claire asked softly.

"Seventeen."

…

"Come on, we have to save Chris." Claire said, leading Steve with her arm. She understood now, her heart going out to him. He had never been fully alive since he did 'die'; his body was just used as a shell.

Steve grabbed the pain in his head, and fully Claire who began to jog. Luke followed the too close behind, keeping his eyes still firmly on the man.

* * *

Claire, Luke and Steve had made it through the house. Claire was the first to see Jill lying outside in the courtyard. She led the way, sprinting outside to get to her. Her attention was drawn to the other two figures.

Alex had grabbed Chris by the neck, squeezing his final breath out of him. Claire's eyes shimmered with tears, as she sprinted towards them, planting a strong kick on Alex's back making her drop Chris. His body slumped onto the ground, as Alex prowled her way towards Claire.

Luke and Steve caught up with her, and Luke quickly brought himself in front of Claire to protect her.

A strong cough from the slumped body enabled Claire to breathe again. Chris chocked, grabbing at his throat, while trying to get upright once more.

"Well, well, well… This is interesting, eh?" Alex drawled. "Long time no see Luke…. Though I'm pretty certain I sent someone to dispose of you two…"

Her eyes fluttered over to a confused Steve.

"Disappointing indeed." Alex shook her head. Retrieving the handgun from her holster, before anybody could react, she shot Steve through the forehead. As the blood and matter splatted on the cobblestone, the young man fell back to his death. Alex let out a laugh as Claire screeched in horror.

The young girl began to scream and cry, her tears flooding out of her eyes. She immediately knelt next to Steve, bringing her furiously shaking hand up to cup his pale face. She let out another cry as she gazed into his lifeless eyes, seeing only an innocent seventeen year old boy.

"I suppose if you want a job done, you have to do it yourself." Alex joked, letting out another sadistic smile. "So who's next huh? I mean obviously Chris is going to have to be last, I'm not quite finished with him….So I guess that leaves us with you two…"

Alex pointed towards Luke and Claire, giving her lips a slow lick.

"Hate to say goodbye to you Luke…." She brought the gun right up to his forehead, pressing the cold metal to his sweating head, making him shudder with fear.

"No!" Claire squealed again, quickly rising from her knelt position. She wrapped her arms around Luke's shaking arm and body, holding him close to her. "No, no, please! Please, please, not this….Please…"

Alex wasn't messing around, after killing Steve; Claire knew she was done with her games. She couldn't be stopped.

"Please… Please don't hurt him!" Claire pleaded, as the tears continued to flood down her cheeks, Luke just gave her a worried glance. "I love you, Luke…"

Multiple shots echoed through the courtyard, swiftly followed by silence.

* * *

Hehe, I'm a bitch leaving it like this. I know I always leave similar cliff-hangers but it's just cause I love 'em!

I really do hope my next update won't take just as bloody long! Cannot believe it took me so long, but I will never give up on the story.

Thanks for your support!

Artichoke,

x


	29. Sound Of Silence

_**No One Dared Disturb The Sound Of Silence**_

Title comes from the Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. Like Stairway to Heaven, it is a hauntingly beautiful song. Sorry again for the damn delay, busy with school work I tell ye!

Thanks to all the reviewers I'm really glad you've still stuck with it! Those I can't reply to personally, Jane, you're a babe! I'm glad you like it, and you truly are a great support.

Ack, a little message to the wee dote Alex. All the rest of yous…bypass this and go straight to the story! I haven't stopped writing; I've just been very busy at the moment. I'm still a young buck too like yourself, it's my final year of school so a lot of University bollocks going on for me, which inhibits my writing. As for Angelica Burrows, she's going through a very rough time at the moment; undoubtedly our prayers should be with her. It means a lot that you say I inspired you, really does. If you write yourself, you should get your ass on here. I'm far from the best, but I enjoy it, so I really do encourage you to post your work if it's applicable. Don't worry about grammar; I'm pretty certain that's what betas are for! Seriously, your review actually meant so much to me. I should be the one thanking you.

* * *

Multiple shots echoed through the courtyard, swiftly followed by silence. Luke stumbled and fell backwards, landing on the cold cobblestone.

…

Miraculously he was alive; he couldn't quite believe it himself. Slowly he opened his eyes, his mouth open wide with shock. A puddle of blood formed around his feet and seeped up to his hands, coating the fingertips lightly in the thick liquid. He followed to trail of blood, which led to the body of Alex face down on the ground just mere meters away from him. Multiple gunshots perforated the skin on her back, the red blood oozing out of the separate wounds. His eyes moved to hers, the once dark amber evil eyes, were now dull grey, dead.

Luke's heart continued to race, as he stared in awe at the dead body before him. He was pretty certain he should have been the one that was dead, but yet he felt no pain. There wasn't a wound on his body. His eyes moved from the body in front of him, to the figure standing behind her. The woman brought the still smoking gun down from its upright position and placed in carefully in the holster on her leg. Her head was cocked to the side, with a sly smile firmly on it. Luke thought his eyes were deceiving him.

"Guess that's the second time I've saved your life, handsome." The words rolled off her tongue, swiftly followed by a wink. She stepped nonchalantly over Alex's body, and held out her hand to help Luke off the floor.

"Ada…" He whispered the words, still in utter shock of the whole situation. Receiving her hand, she dragged him onto his feet. Within seconds his arms were wrapped strongly around her body, holding tightly to the woman whose path he'd never thought he would cross again.

By this time, it had kicked into Claire that Luke was okay. She had squeezed her eyes shut when the gunfire went off, and immediately thought the worst. She was just as confused as the next person as to who the woman was and how she got there. But instead of asking questions, she merely sobbed into her hands with relief as she watched Luke hold the mysterious woman.

Luke whispered a soft thank you into Ada's ear, leaving her with a gentle kiss on her cheek. He pulled away from her and immediately Claire latched onto his side. He brought his arm to hold tightly to the woman he loved. Claire cried as he held her, thinking she would never feel his warm arms again.

Ada stepped back, and brought her foot up to Alex, kicking her lightly on her side to get her to roll over. Looking to her dead face, Ada felt no pity. She knew as much as anyone, the woman was the devil.

Chris was as shocked as his sister. He immediately recognised the woman, she had helped them before. She was appearing to be somewhat of a guardian angel to them, but he had yet to learn her name. Chris walked up to Ada.

"We meet again Chris." She gave a sly smile, which was ignored. Chris moved straight for her leg, accidently scraping his hard fingertips against her smooth skin; he reached his destination and quickly pulled the gun from her holster. Ada almost lost her composure and tensed, giving him a confused look. From what she was told, Chris Redfield was a good man; surely he wouldn't try to kill her…

He walked over to the body of Alex, bringing the gun between her eyes; he swiftly fired one more bullet. He never gained satisfaction from the killing, regardless of how evil the person was, but that one bullet was fired for the love of his fiancée and his unborn son. Without saying a word, he placed the gun back into Ada's hands.

"Chris, I should formally introduce myself, I'm Ada Wong…"

"Yeah, I could have guessed…" Chris replied, giving a very slight smile. He knew Ada existed; the BSAA always had a slight worry about her. He just never knew what she looked like. Chris was about to continue, but he heard a light groan. He snapped his head up, and sprinted up to Jill as fast as his legs could physically take him.

Leaning on his knees, he scooped the frail woman into his arms. She had woken, but from the pained expression on her face, he could see something was very wrong.

The stern look on his face softened as he held her light body, a worried expression washing over him. Jill was attempting to get upright but he ensured she didn't move anymore.

"Jill? Jill, are you okay, sweetie?" He spoke softly to comfort her, but she could sense his worry. Her hands were firmly on her stomach, clenching at the shooting pains flying through it.

"I…I don't think so… Eugh, Chris, it hurts so bad…" She clenched her fists until the knuckles turned white, as another pain shot through her abdomen. If she wasn't only seven and a half months pregnant, she would have sworn it was contractions.

"It'll be okay, don't worry….We'll get you help. You just have to calm down…" He hushed her, holding on to one of her hands. She lost the colour in her face, and her skin started to become a lot clammier as her heart beat increased. Jill became more and more distressed, with the pain and the whole situation in general. It was more than she could take.

Chris brought his hand off hers, and down to hold her pregnancy bump.

"I'm scared…" Jill shuddered, her voice hitched. He was too. His eyes went wide as he was drawn to a small puddle of blood coming from her upper legs. More blood seemed to be appearing, and it was only then he noticed the thick layer coated her trousers. Chris gulped, he immediately thought the worst. There would be no reason for Jill to be bleeding. Something was very, very wrong.

"Oh…okay, we got to get you out of here. You just need to get some help."

"Chris, what's wrong?" She saw his face drop as he moved his eyes from hers.

"Nothing…" He let out a slight smile in attempt to reassure her, "Nothing at all. We just have to get you checked out if you're having pain…"

"Chris…Don't lie to me…" Her head rolled back after she spoke, finding it difficult to keep her consciousness. Chris kept her up with his arm firmly around her shoulder.

"Luke! I need you, something's wrong." Luke let go of Claire and ran over to where Chris stood over Jill. Claire and Ada swiftly followed him.

"What is it? Is she okay?" He asked, still out of breath.

"I don't know, she's got serious pain…"

"Okay, well what is it?" Luke asked quickly, while Jill tried to stifle another pained groan.

"She's having pains in her abdomen, like contractions. And…"Chris trailed off and subtly moved his eyes to the blood below her waist. Luke gave a knowing nod, but became slightly distressed.

"How far along is she, Chris?"

"Only 32 weeks."

"Okay, did Alex hit her?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so…but not in the stomach I don't think." Chris babbled out, holding tightly to Jill's hand.

"Yeah, it probably doesn't make a difference with the force of Alex's blow it could still have…"

"What is it? Please tell me she's okay." Chris begged.

"I think she might have a placental abruption…"

"Yeah and what does that mean?" Chris kept his eyes firmly on his faint looking fiancée as he demanded the answers out of Luke.

"The placenta might have pulled away from the uterus... If I'm right, we need to get her medical attention…Now." Claire let out a small sob, as if the day couldn't get worse. Immediately Ada retrieved her phone and dialled numbers.

Jill wasn't fully coherent, she was worried, but Chris couldn't fully tell if she actually heard what Luke was saying. She was becoming paler by the minute as more blood seemed to drain from her.

"Helps on the way…" Ada piped up, usually her poker face would hide any emotion, but even she looked scared.

When the ambulance arrived, Jill and Chris were immediately taken away. The BSAA came to conduct their research, and had to ask all of them various questions, while removing the body of Alex. Everything happened so fast, it seemed like a blur.

* * *

The BSAA had questioned all three of them separately, and then had spoken carefully to them together. It was a sensitive time to try to get the information out of them, and the BSAA fully understood this. Once they had left, Ada was about to leave the small waiting room too.

"Wait, Ada, if Alex had the immortality virus, how could you kill her?" Luke asked, he had his thoughts on why, but they were merely speculation.

"From what I could tell, she had never perfected or stabilised it. The skin and tissue could re-heal in small doses, but it'd be near impossible to re-heal a large wound or multiple gunshots." She replied, she'd been tracking Alex's moves for a while, she knew a lot more than most.

"Yeah that's what I thought…"

"Tell me if you hear about Jill…" Ada said softly, leaving the white walled room.

…

"How do you know her?" Claire asked gently, leaning over to rest her head on Luke's shoulders. It was the middle of the night, and thankfully they were the only two in the waiting room. Claire was still worried for Chris and Jill, and hadn't heard anything since she was dragged away. She figured keeping up conversation with Luke would distract her worrying mind.

"She knew me a bit when I worked for Alex. She was….my only comfort I guess. I was lonely." Technically, Ada and Luke had had a relationship, but there were no real feelings actually involved. It was both of their ways of escaping the life they had to lead.

"I've heard of her before. She seems nice." Claire said softly.

"Under the rough exterior, she's just as scared as the rest of us." He spoke the truth. Ada was a strong woman, but to a very small minority, she would occasionally show her weaker side.

"Well, she came at just the right time. I thought I was going to lose you as well." Claire's voice trembled as she said the words, she hated reliving the moment. Each time she heard the gunfire in her head, she saw Luke dying.

"It's been a hard day… But I know it'll just get better. Jill will be okay…" Luke said it more to assure himself than Claire. He knew enough of medicine that if it was a placental abruption, it could be very dangerous.

…

"I meant what I said…that I love you." Claire whispered, holding onto his shaky hand. "I'm sorry I didn't say it before."

"I love you too…" He planted a small kiss on her forehead, as she gently closed her eyes.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Although she was going through so much at the moment, she knew she wouldn't have to bare it alone. Luke would be right by her side.

A tear trickled down her fine features, a tear for the loss of Steve, a tear of relief for the now dead Alex, and a fear of worry for her brother.

* * *

Ada stepped out of the hospital and leant on the handrail just outside the exit. She didn't know herself why she'd stayed. Usually she was never this attached, but it seemed different this time. She did care greatly for Luke, and in some ways she even felt herself caring for Chris and Jill. Though in honesty, deep down, she did know the reason why she was so attached to them. The reason was Leon. She knew how close he was to them, and although she would hate to admit it, she would do anything to help him.

She didn't really know what would happen with the BSAA. They knew she was a spy, but had never caught her. She just hoped with Chris's help they would let her off, and maybe finally she could lead a normal life.

The chill of the night air penetrated through her red coat, making her let out a slight shiver.

A hand came around in front of her, holding a polystyrene cup of coffee before her.

"I thought you might need it." A genuine smile formed on her lips as she recognised the husky voice. She wrapped her cold fingers around the cup and revelled in the heat it brought to them.

"Are you okay Ada?" Leon asked as she turned to him. She had contacted him after the event, and typical Leon, he came as quickly as he could for her. She didn't have her usual playful smile, she seemed almost…sad.

"I'm fine. I got there just in time….At least I saved Luke." She took a small sip. Leon gave her a worried look, confused by her sombre attitude.

"Thank you…For helping them. I owe you everything."

"No, Leon, don't thank me." She took a step away from him, ashamed in herself. "I should have been quicker. I knew what Alex was up too, I should have stopped this."

Leon stared deeply into her green orbs; he was seeing the side to her that very few saw. She was upset. Visibly upset. She was a strong woman of course, and brave. But that didn't mean she didn't get upset as she saw more people be torn apart. In a job like hers, she wasn't meant to have feelings.

"Ada, you've done so much. You killed Alex, we owe you everything. You couldn't have done anything more." He tried to comfort her, but she glanced away from him.

"I knew all about Alex, if only I had stopped her from the beginning. Jill's in a bad state, Leon, and if she loses that baby…I'll never forgive myself." The moonlight lit up her skin, and Leon could have sworn he saw a tear glistening in her eye.

Leon didn't really know what to say. He just brought his arms around her comfortingly, and pulled her into his chest. Rarely were the two as affectionate as this to each other, usually it was just sex. But Leon brought her comfort.

It was unlike her to be so emotional, but she was only human after all.

* * *

Various nurses and radiographers bustled around the small hospital room, quickly trying to get Jill set up. They too suspected it the placenta had come away from the uterus lining, however they had to check. Though from the pain Jill was experiencing they knew they were pushed for time.

Chris stood vigilantly by Jill's bedside, holding tightly to her hand, as the pain continually shot through her abdomen. Everything was happening in a flurry, any time they asked a question; most were too busy to really answer them. The ultrasound was hooked up and immediately they began to rub along Jill's stomach.

"What's happening?" Chris asked. Jill was still quite faint from the blood loss.

"We need to check how badly the placenta has come away." The radiographer said, as he watched the screen looking at their baby.

"Obviously Jill's in distress, if it's the same for the baby, we will need to do a caesarean section." The female obstetrician added, as she too looked intently at the images being formed.

"Yeah it definitely is a placental abruption." She said, pointing to the screen to show her colleagues. "What's the baby's heart rate like?"

"During the contractions she's feeling, the rate is much higher than normal, 178 beats per minute." A nurse said quickly, watching the monitor.

All the medical stuff meant very little to Chris, and that just aggravated and worried him more.

"That's what I feared. The baby's in distress…" The doctor mumbled to herself, running her fingers through her tumbling red hair. She gave a pause. "Mr Redfield, Jill's needs an emergency C-section. We're going to have to take her now."

"But she's only 32 weeks?" Chris insisted. He wasn't stupid; he knew that would make their baby premature.

"There's more danger if we leave it. We have to, Chris, Jill's bleeding out. We'll try our very best to save both of them, but our main priority is your fiancée…" The Doctor said regretfully. They began to lead Jill out and towards a free theatre; Chris jogged a little to keep up with them. He couldn't believe it, he wasn't prepared to have their baby. It was so unexpected. The worst case scenario kept running through his mind.

Jill was being prepared for surgery, and Chris too had to place one of the gowns over his clothes.

Once they were ready, Chris was brought in. He had seen and survived creatures most would only have nightmares about, yet the thought and worry for Jill and their son made him feel physically sick.

Taking Jill's hand into his own, Chris bowed his head and prayed.

* * *

Again, sorry for the delay. We're close to finishing boys! Must apologise again, I'm not a doctor, the medical stuff is just random crap I know worded in such a way that hopefully it's believable. Again, never been preggers, so sorry if it's not 100% accurate... It is fiction after all.

Also, drastic change in Ada's personality from the games, I should apologise, but personally, I would imagine she does have some soft side.

Thank you!

Artichoke,

x


	30. For You, I'd Give The World

_**To You I'll Give The World**_

Title is from Songbird by Fleetwood Mac.

Thank you reviewers! To reply to Alex, Yes accounts are free, though it's strange that you said it didn't work for you. And yeah I would certainly check out the stories if I had the chance, and offer any help. Thanks for the review. Jane as always, you're a wee angel. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you liked it.

* * *

Chris watched intently, mouth agape as the doctors and nurses ran frantically around the room, all in aid of Jill and their unborn child. The operating room was filled with mummers, feet echoing and the constant beeping coming from the monitors.

"Let's get the baby out of here….She's already lost too much blood." The female surgeon spoke urgently through her mask. Immediately, Chris took a step closer to the observing glass. He wished he could be right in the room with Jill, and be the first to lay eyes upon their son, but he knew an extra body would create more unnecessary havoc in the already very busy room.

Chris was full of emotion. This was the moment he dreamed of, but with such complications, at this stage they were unsure if the baby was even still alive.

He watched as the surgeon reached into the womb and gently lifted out the tiny, exceedingly fragile baby. The umbilical cord was quickly snipped, and a nurse reached over to place the baby into a towel, wiping off the excess blood and mucus. All the nurses now began to crowd around their child, placing a small oxygen mask over the mouth to aid with his breathing. Chris let out a sigh of relief, his child was okay. Though he was shocked by the size of him. A smile played on his lips as he was overcome with love.

Things changed. The surgeon turned her head nonchalantly over to Jill's form, "She's hemorrhaging…"

Chris's heart broke, just as he thought everything would be okay…

The consistent beep of Jill's monitor was no longer quite so consistent. The beeps began to steadily slow. Decreasing further until a constant beep, the flat line noise echoed through Chris's ears.

To Chris's distress none of the nurses, nor even the surgeon turned to Jill's aid. They still surrounded their young son, seemingly oblivious to the drone of the monitor filling the room.

"Hey! Help her! What are you doing?" Chris yelled at the top of his voice, as the realisation that Jill's heart had stopped beating kicked in. Banging furiously on the glass he continued his shouts, "She's dying, do something! ...Jill!"

He seemed to be ignored, until after a brief moment, the surgeon turned to face the glass separating them.

"No, Chris, she's already dead…" Her voice was monotonous, without any feeling at all in her words.

"Not if you do something! Do something!" His pleads were so loud he could swear the whole hospital would hear them. Unwillingly, he felt warmth pass along his cheeks, as tears dropped as he argued with her.

"We don't need her… Now we have your son, that's all I've ever really wanted…" Her voice seemed somewhat teasing.

"What the fuck? Get me out of here!" Chris continually yelled, desperately trying to open the door that separated him from his love.

"…Chris, Chris, Chris…We can't do that…" The surgeon removed her mask, revealing the devilish smile which belonged to Alex Wesker.

Chris continued to bash the door and glass, until blood ran from his knuckles, all the while shouting at the devil before him.

"Chris…"

"Chris?"

Chris threw his head up in shock, a trickle of sweat sticking his brown locks to his brow. Opening his eyes wide, he took in his surroundings. It was only a dream. He was seated alone in the waiting room, having drifted off in his seat. Worry took over him; he never meant to fall asleep. Though he in his defence he hadn't slept for 24 hours. He quickly snapped his head around to the young woman who was calling his name.

"Is everything okay?" He asked hastily towards the short young nurse before him. Her plump lips twitched into a slight frown, removing Chris's hopes, "How long have I been asleep? Jill hasn't woken has she?"

"No, Chris. You've been here for four hours…"

"Well shouldn't she be awake by now?" He interrupted, standing abruptly from his seated position.

"Yes, come with me and you can see her." She quickly led Chris into Jill's room, she had many wires and tubes connected to her, but at least she looked peaceful. "She seems to be in a comatose state, now it's only been four hours. For all we know it could just be a delay for the anesthesia to wear off."

Chris's heart sunk. A coma? He couldn't believe it, it should have been the best moment of their lives. As if things couldn't get worse.

"Surely it would be wearing off by now?" He asked nervously, taking Jill's hand softly into his own.

"Yes, that is why we think she may be slipping into a coma. She did lose a lot of blood with the surgery. And with the experiments conducted in Africa, no one is really too sure how her body reacts. But don't fret, she is still responsive to light and pain. We're hopeful; we think it's unlikely for her to remain in this comatose state for any longer than a couple of days."

A couple of days still seemed long to him. He worried, but some comfort was brought to him knowing the doctors saw it as a temporary thing.

"And, your son is now stabilised. He will have to remain in SCBU, but you're willing to see him if you'd wish." The nurse said more cheerfully.

Chris was overcome with joy. He saw their son briefly as he was born, but immediately he was whisked away due to his prematurity.

"I should warn you, he is connected up to various monitors and I know it can be distressful. But I assure you it's for his own good, and even in the short time he's been born, he's growing stronger."

"Can you take me to him please?" The nurse gave a smile and nodded. Before Chris left, he placed a gentle kiss on Jill's forehead and whispered words of love to his unconsciousness fiancée.

* * *

Chris walked into the intensive care unit, glancing toward the various other babies in the room. His heart went out to them, they were so young and innocent, they shouldn't have been in a hospital clinging for life.

The nurse pointed over to one of the babies with a smile, giving Chris room to spend time with his newly born son.

The nurse was right; the sight was quite distressing for him. His child lay snuggly up in blankets within the plastic bed which kept him secure. A tube wrapped around his button nose, helping him with the breathing, along with another tube coming from his wrist. Connected to it was a small label reading 'Redfield'.

Chris etched forward after overcoming the initial shock. He gazed upon his child with the most loving eyes. The baby boy may have been tiny in size compared to the normal, but he was perfect in his father's eyes.

Immediately Chris saw the resemblance to Jill, his small round nose definitely belonged to his mother. It brought a smile over Chris's face, wishing Jill would be able to see the child too. Sadness developed him, and he immediately began to think the worst. What if Jill never woke? She would never be able to see their son, never be able to experience the complete wave of love only achieved by having a child. Chris tried to shake the negative feelings off, and focus on the sheer happiness he had for his son.

"Hey baby boy, I'm your daddy…" Chris whispered, not wanting to disturb other families. Very gently, with immense caution, he placed his hand into the bed, reaching gently for the tiny hand of his son's.

The movement and noise woke the child up from his slumber. His eyes flicked open, and looked intently at his father before him. His piercing blue eyes caught with Chris's, reminding him completely of his mother, who too was blessed with bright blue orbs.

Chris let out a large grin as his child looked upon him. Very faintly Chris felt his son wrap his hand onto Chris's much larger finger. Already Chris was completely and utterly smitten with him.

* * *

Claire and Luke had heard the news of Jill and the baby. Already they had been to visit Jill, who remained in her unconscious state, but they thought it only fair for someone to contact Anna.

"Did you hear any more about Ada?" Claire asked, while watching the trees which passed them outside the window.

"I don't know what's happening. She's in questioning with the BSAA. On one side she killed the woman the BSAA were looking for; on the other she was a spy for a long time… They don't know what information she possesses, nor would they know how to trust her." Luke replied.

"I hope it works out, if Leon trusts her then that's enough for me."

"Her heart's in the right place… I'm just amazed it's over, we don't have to worry about Alex anymore."

"Yeah…" Luke picked up on Claire's lack of enthusiasm.

"What's the matter, Claire?"

"I just pray Jill's alright…and the baby, those two have been through enough. Can't they just be happy?" Her voice broke slightly as she spoke. She worried much for Chris; she knew there was only so much heartache a man could take.

"I have a feeling everything will be okay. The doctors are hopeful, so we should be too…"

"I suppose… You know I'm really glad you're here with me, if I lost you I…"

"I'm here, you won't lose me." Luke interrupted, hoping to stop the doubt and fear which polluted Claire's mind. She gave him a smile and leaned over to peck his lips. Luke stopped the car, and both got out to inform Anna of the events which had occurred.

* * *

Unbelievably a day had passed since Jill had given birth. Jill still remained in her comatose state, however she had begun to react even more to noises, and one of the nurses noted she stirred from her slumber during the night. This gave Chris the hope he needed. Added to this, the doctors had commented on the steady improvement of their little baby's strength.

Chris sat vigilantly by Jill's bedside. It was nice to have just the two of them. It gave time for Chris to think. She lay so perfectly on the bed; it made him almost afraid to disrupt her peacefulness.

He gently took her soft hand into his own, and bowed his head.

"Jill, sweetie, I really need you to wake up now…" Chris whispered softly. He knew it wouldn't do much, he didn't really believe she could even hear him. But the doctors did encourage him to talk to her, in case she did recognise his voice.

He held her hand to his face, laying a couple of delicate kisses upon it.

"You need to see our son… I really need you, and he needs you. If not wake up for me, but please wake up for him…" Chris continued to stare at her face. She wore not a piece of make-up, but she didn't need it, she was pretty as she was. "You know he's absolutely perfect…Beautiful in fact, you did a good job."

Her lips twitched upwards, making Chris smile brightly. Perhaps she could hear him after all.

"I haven't even named him yet, Jill…And he really needs a name." Chris let out a slight chuckle as he continued to ramble. "I know we had a couple in mind, but you being a typical woman, you never made up your mind."

Chris stopped his joking, his face becoming saddened. He leaned up to brush the stray brunette locks from her eyes.

"I love you, Jill. Please wake up... It's over. It's all over; we can live the life we're meant too… You just have to wake up."

The sound of the door opening made Chris jump back, wiping at his eyes to ensure his tear never fell.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt, I just came to check up on her." The nurse who had entered quickly apologised.

"You're not interrupting anything, it's okay." Chris recognised the nurse; it was the same one who spoke to him the previous day. She seemed sweet enough, always checking up on Jill.

"Have you been to see the little one today?" She said happily, moving around to check Jill's monitors. "He's such a cutie."

"Yeah I saw him this morning. He'll be a heartbreaker, that's for sure." She let out a nervous giggle. "I was wondering if there was any way I could bring him here. Just for a short while, it's just he's never even met his mom."

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll be okay. I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thank you so much." She gave him a smile and left him with Jill.

…

Chris's idea had been met positively. Their baby was strong enough to be moved up, and the doctors hoped perhaps it would help Jill. A male nurse led the baby's bed into Jill's room, and ensured to set up the necessary monitors. He couldn't stay here forever, but Chris just wished to introduce him to his mother.

"Am I allowed to hold him?" Chris asked as the nurse was about to leave.

"Yeah of course you can, you just must be very careful. He's still very fragile and young."

"Thank you." The nurse nodded and left.

With upmost caution, Chris lifted his son up and out of the bed, cradling him close to his chest. He felt so light and fragile in his arms. Chris leaned down and placed the gentleness of kisses upon the little boy's forehead.

"Baby boy, this is your mom. And she is the bravest lady I know." Chris moved his left hand to caress his son's face, "And she loves you to pieces…That's why both of us need you to grow nice and strong…"

Jill remained frozen, apart from her eyelids twitching occasionally.

A squeal erupted in the room, causing the small baby to stir from his sleep and cry. Chris turned angrily around to see who caused the upset.

Claire stood at the doorway, hand covering her mouth to stop another outburst. It was the first time she'd seen the baby, as only parents were really meant to visit him in SCBU. Immediately she came over to Chris and cooed over his shoulder to the handsome little man in his arms.

Luke and Anna stepped in afterwards, both admiring the baby.

Chris gave a smile, and gently rocked the baby so to hush his cries.

"Oh my goodness Chris, he's actually adorable." Claire whispered to him after the baby had stopped his tears.

"Yeah he is quite something huh?" Chris laughed. "Little man, I'd like you to meet your auntie Claire. And that scary man over there is your uncle Luke. And last but most certainly not least, is your big sister Anna."

Luke and Anna smiled and stepped around to take a seat on the opposite side of Jill.

"He's so cute Chris; I'm going to be awesome at this sibling thing." Anna joked.

"Can I hold him please?" Claire pleaded. Chris reluctantly passed his son over to the hands of his sister.

"Be careful with him…"

"How is she, Chris?" Luke asked, looking over to the still unconscious Jill.

"Ah, she's okay I guess. I just hope she can hear us, and wake up." He let out a humourless laugh, as his glance moved over to his fiancée.

Claire carefully rocked the baby in her arms, humming happily at him. No doubt about it, she was broody.

"Have the BSAA talked to you yet?" Luke questioned Chris.

"They tried but I told them to shove it. I'm not really in the mood for talking to them, I more wanted…"

"Chris?"

Chris stopped his words, as he heard the faint call for him. A tired hand placed itself above his. He snapped his head to the hand, and followed it till he saw Jill looking at him weakly, desperately trying to stay awake.

"Jill?" He thought his eyes deceived him. After staring blankly at her, she made a faint smile at his shocked expression. Her smile convinced him his eyes weren't deceiving him and in fact she was awake.

Immediately, he cupped her face, and swooped in to leave a tender kiss on her lips. She barely had time to react and just sat in shock. He kept hold of her face, smiling brightly at her.

"I'm so glad you're awake, I love you."

"So I heard…" Jill croaked out, smiling faintly back at him. She heard more than he expected. "What's happening, Chris?"

She became slightly more agitated as she asked. Her memory wasn't good, she only remembered being with Alex, nothing beyond that. Placing a hand to her stomach, her bump was gone.

"There was a complication with the pregnancy, but you're okay." He said soothingly.

"And Alex is dead, Jill. Your worries are over." Luke piped in happily.

Jill turned her head over to his direction, and as she did her eyes caught onto the fragile baby within Claire's arms. Unwillingly, her eyes began to well as she laid eyes for the first time upon her child. She latched out her arms with more strength than she thought, and watched as Claire brought the baby to her.

Jill took him from Claire's arms, and enveloped him in her loving arms. Gazing upon him, he was all she had ever wished for. All she had ever wanted. He stared brightly back at her, as she soothingly ran her thumb along his cheek. She was exhausted, but she was far too in love with her child to even notice or care.

Everyone surrounded her, and shared with her happiness, bright smiles playing across all of their faces.

Jill reached down and kissed her son's forehead. She was oblivious to the tears which fell from her eyes; all that matter now was her son. Her love was indescribable; words wouldn't do justice to the happiness she felt. She leaned down to whisper to her baby's ear,

"Jack Richard Redfield, welcome to the world."

* * *

Eugh, it sickened me to write 'mom'….So unnatural! Haha. Yay, happiness and cheese in a chapter for once! Haha, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to you all. Hope you enjoyed it.

Artichoke,

x


	31. Finally Forever

_**Feels Like I Don't Have To Worry At All, It's Finally Forever**_

Title is from Finally Forever by Chris Cornell, lovely song.

To Jane and C. Redfield, thank you for the reviews! Yous have been with this story for ages, and I appreciate the support!

If you don't want to listen to me gush, skip to the story.

Okay, first off, I hope I wasn't the only person who practically had an orgasm at the RE6 trailer... Secondly, I'm sorry for the delay. And thirdly….AH! I'm going to get emotional. Thank you to every single reviewer, all of you have inspired since the beginning and it means so much that you stuck by me and the story. Also, I'd like to thank all those who favourited/ Alerted the story. I was so surprised when I actually saw how many did. Honestly I'm gobsmacked at the reception of this story. Although I don't think it deserves it, thank you so much!

Warning, serious cheese in this chapter. I promised I'd finish the story, and I promised I would end it happily….So here you go folks! Enjoy, and once again thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed the whole story, take care,

Artichoke xxx

* * *

After over a decade of fighting, they finally had the chance to reap the rewards. The reward of being able to lead a normal life perhaps didn't seem so significant to others. But after living in constant worry and fear, a normal life seemed just about perfect for them. No more STARS, no more Wesker, no more Alex…no more fighting. For five years they had found peace.

Chris brought his hands up to his hair, attempting to hide the slight shake which coursed through them. Apart from the occasional grey hair which sprouted here and there, he had aged well, his hair just as thick as it had always been. He moved his fingers around the brunette locks to tweak and style it into shape. After all, a perfect day required perfect hair.

Glancing his gaze from his image in the mirror, Chris caught the sight of the very young man next to him. A smile seeped onto Chris's face as he watched him. The young boy kicked over a plastic box, pushing it up against the cupboard. He carefully stepped onto it, giving him the required height to see into the large mirror. Giving a judging glance to Chris's hair, he turned and began repeating the actions Chris had just done twizzling small bits of his brunette locks.

Chris watched with amusement as the young boy continued to jump between looking at Chris and his reflection, each time trying to fix his hair to create a replica of the older man's. Finally satisfied, the young boy gave himself one last glance, before turning to Chris.

"What do you think Dad?" Chris just let out a laugh at the antics of his son. He was only five, far too young to care about his appearance.

"I think you need to be careful, you can't look better than me today kiddo." Chris warned jokily. Jack let out a small giggle, and turned from Chris to whisper,

"I always look better," A sly smile formed on Jack's lips, as Chris lifted him up off his feet, slinging the young boy over his shoulders.

"I heard that mister!" Chris teased, tickling his writhing son. Each tickle receiving a huge giggle from the youngster.

A light cough and knock upon the open door, stopped the father and son in their playful antics. Chris smiled and dropped Jack to the ground carefully, ruffling his hair as he did so.

"Eugh, I just fixed that!" Jack whined, while fixing the displaced hair. Chris just smiled at him devilishly, and was quickly received with an angry sticking out tongue from his son.

Dick Valentine walked into the room, laughing at the two. Chris quickly turned and smiled at him. The two were never the best of friends, but had mutual respect for the other. Dick just wouldn't be comfortable with any man being with his daughter; that being said, even he had to admit Chris was definitely the best out of a bad bunch. At least he trusted Chris.

Dick's sentence was shortened for good behaviour and three years ago he was let out of prison, much to the joy of his daughter. Jack didn't know of his grandfather's whereabouts, and both parents decided to wait to tell him the truth whenever he would be able to understand.

"Young mister Redfield, I believe your father has to leave…" Dick began, walking towards his grandchild. Jack happily jumped off his plastic box to run and grab his things.

"Are you nervous, Chris?" Dick asked, a small smile forming.

"A little, yeah…But I'm ready. Have been for years..."

"It has taken quite a while… This nervousness? It wouldn't come from cold feet perhaps now, would it?" A smile played on the older man's lips, as Chris couldn't decipher if his question was serious or not.

"He's wearing shoes Grandpa, his feet are hardly cold." Jack said innocently, receiving a laugh from his relatives.

"Exactly! There's no way I could have cold feet." Chris exclaimed with a smile. He picked up Jack bringing him into his arms, and placed a gentle kiss on the boy's head.

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too, kiddo… Now I really have to get going."

"Come on mister, let's go." Dick said taking Jack's hand leading them out of the room.

Chris turned to the mirror, judging himself. From playing with Jack, his suit had become a little dishevelled. He quickly smoothed it down, fixing his tie afterwards. Sure he wasn't as buff as he used to be, but undoubtedly he was still in good shape. But he didn't look at himself with such vanity as he used too. He didn't care if the man staring back at him was a chick magnet, because now whenever he looked at himself, all he saw was a father. And that brought him more happiness than the best looks in the world ever could.

* * *

Jill gave herself one last look in the full length mirror. Most girls dreamt of this day, and she was no different. Her dress was simple and elegant, all she ever wanted. It was strapless but high enough to maintain her decency, and the entire dress had delicate lace on it. Her hair had been styled up intricately with small diamond accessories running throughout it. This was the first time she looked at herself as beautiful. With being a mother, her appearance wasn't top of her list of importance.

"Wow." Jill quickly turned around to find the source of the voice, beaming brightly as her son looked up to her.

"You look so pretty Mom." Jack said, jaw still open. Rarely would he see his mum dressed up, but now he did he saw she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Oh come here!" Jill exclaimed, holding out her hands to envelope her beloved son in a strong hug. She picked him up, placing him on her hip to hold him. "You know, you look incredibly handsome yourself little boy….Or should I say man. Your dad will be insanely jealous that you'll be the most handsome man there."

"He already is jealous!" Jack said, receiving a laugh from his mum. Her heart warmed every time she looked at him. To her, he looked more and more like Chris every day. His bright blue eyes had changed in the first couple of months, and turned into the piercing green colour of his fathers. Topped off with the chocolate brown hair, to her he was the spitting image.

Jill set him carefully down, smiling as she had time to look at him fully. He wore specially tailored little suit, bow tie and everything. She couldn't resist cooing over him.

"My special little guy is growing up so fast!" Grabbing his shoulders she laid multiple light kisses on his head, receiving an annoyed grunt from his lips. "Sorry, sorry. You just look so cute!"

Smiling, she began to fix his suit, ensuring his bow tie was straight. Her eyes beamed with pride and joy. Sure having a child was difficult, but the happiness that absorbed her whenever he smiled was unbeatable.

"There you are!" Dick shouted towards Jack, jogging groggily into the room. He let out an exasperated sigh, "I've been looking everywhere for you. Little beggar ran off, knowing his coot of a Grandpa wouldn't be able to keep up."

Jack gave a small smile but apologised and ran to give him a hug. Jill just laughed at the two of them. Dick always pretended to be angry or aggravated by the little one, but everyone knew he loved him more than anything.

"Wow, Jilly bean, you look absolutely beautiful. I'm so proud of you," Dick brought his arm around to hug his only daughter. To him it felt like only yesterday he was taking her to school. Now she had grown up, on her wedding day, and with a child of her own. Words couldn't describe his pride.

"Thanks Dad, I'm really happy. Chris makes me happy… And this little rascal of course." Jill put her hand down playfully ruffling Jack's hair.

"Hey! This is the second time I'll have to fix that!" He squealed angrily, running to the mirror. His mother and Grandfather watched on bemused.

"That's great Jill; you've been through far too much. It's about time you lived the life you deserved, so enjoy it." Jill smiled at his words, agreeing completely with them. "I have a present for you actually…"

Jill's face lit up.

"You have to close your eyes though." She reluctantly nodded and did so. Reaching into his pocket, Dick retrieved the thin necklace. He gently placed it around her neck, clasping it at the back. Ensuring the small pendant was sitting correctly, he instructed her to open her eyes.

"…Oh Dad, it's so beautiful. Thank you but you really didn't have too…" She ran her fingers along the thin silver chain, until her fingertips met the small sapphire in the middle. It was small and delicate, just what she loved.

"Well I know you're meant to have something old and blue or something, right?" Jill let out a chuckle, she never really bothered to listen to the traditions, though it was nice that he thought of her.

"Yeah, something like that..."

"Your mom wore it on our wedding day, she boasted about how her daughter would wear it too someday. And here you are. Honestly Jill, she would be unbelievably proud of you right now. And I know she would have loved to have been here, especially for today." Jill reached around to take his hand softly.

"You're going to make me cry Daddy…. And I don't want my make up to smudge." She joked, fighting away the tears that threatened her eyes. He laughed and pulled his daughter into a warm embrace. It truly would be difficult to give her away.

* * *

"Luke! Get your ass down here!" Claire thundered at the top her voice from the stairs.

The two had gone from strength to strength since Alex. And not a serious argument had come between them. Both were amazed that it would be coming up to their sixth anniversary of dating. That itself was a milestone for Claire. Finally she had found someone she wanted to spend her life with. And for Luke it made him realise he could love another woman just as much as he loved his previous wife.

"Arse, Claire! The word's arse!" Luke corrected, shouting just as loudly from their bedroom.

Claire had moved out from sharing with Leon, and for three years they had bought a house in the suburbs and lived the dream.

"Fine, get your arse down here! And speak English, it's ass damn it!"

"I'm Scottish for God's sake! That's much closer to English than the language you crazy Americans speak!" Luke yelled. All this yelling wasn't helping the matter and just took him even longer to get ready.

"Crazy my ass… Sorry, correction, crazy my arse." Claire grumbled to herself, a smile teasing her lips. "…In all seriousness Luke, I don't want to be late."

He fumbled down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet, while trying to fix the dishevelled blonde locks.

"What took you so long? I thought girls were the ones who were meant to take forever?" Claire gave a slight chuckle at how flustered he was.

"…I can't do a bowtie…" Luke mumbled under his breath. She gave a giggle, and pulled him over to her.

"Here let me…" She quickly began to fumble around with it, until it sat perfectly on the shirt and she was pleased with it. He looked down in disbelief and scoffed that she could do it so quickly, and so well.

Taking a step back Claire admired her boyfriend. There was just something so alluring about a man in a suit, even if he was a little flustered.

"You look so handsome, Luke." She said, continuing to run her eyes across his body. The day was one for love, and that mood was definitely contagious. Luke noticed how she was looking at him…

"No, Claire…Don't look at me like that…" He warned. He knew that look; her eyes were filled with devilishness and a mixture of lust and love. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"But you look so good Luke..." She said in a low voice, pushing herself up against him, subconsciously running her tongue along her lips. Although she didn't notice herself doing it, Luke definitely did.

"Yeah and we're late, and if Chris finds out why we were late he'll kill me…" He said, taking a stance back from her to try to prevent his hormones from getting the best of him.

"Okay, okay, Luke….That's fine. But I'm a little uncomfortable; I think the tag is still on the dress…" Luke let out a sigh of relief; she usually never gave up this easily. She brought her hand to the back of the red dress, and quickly brought down the zip, letting the dress fall the ground. With a devilish smile, she covered her modesty with her arms. "Opps…"

Of course she wouldn't give up, stupid of him to think so. Luke dropped his head in defeat, as his body defeated his brain.

"Okay, how long do we have until it starts?" Luke asked very calmly. Claire smiled as she noticed he held strong eye contact, so his gaze didn't wander over her semi naked form.

"About half an hour."

"And how long does it take to get there?"

"About five minutes."

…

"Okay, that's definitely enough time." Luke furiously removed his shirt, and threw himself to Claire, leaving multiple kisses on her.

* * *

Chris took a couple of deep breaths. He had no reason to be nervous, but nevertheless he couldn't help his shaking hands.

He glanced to the tomb stones before him. Not a day went by when he didn't miss his parents. He would come by every so often to visit them, it wasn't easy for him. He continually doubted himself, always thinking he had let them down. But for the first time, he believed what he had done was right. He knew his parents would agree, marrying Jill would be the best thing for him.

Seemed strange perhaps, but he liked to keep them informed. If he couldn't talk to anyone else, he could talk to them. They would always listen, and sometimes that's all he needed. He wanted to do right by his parents, and he thought having the wedding in the same church they were married in and were buried, would make them proud. Neither he or Jill were overly religious, but with what they had to go through, they had to have a little faith in something, whether it was a God or just the hope that their actions mattered. Neither had a problem marrying in the church ceremony.

"Dad!" Jack caught sight of his father from the entrance to the church and quickly left Dick to bound over to him.

"Well hello again, son." Chris said laughing. He reached down and plucked Jack into his arms. Even being apart for such a short time, Chris still missed him. He really was getting weak.

"You know, Momma looks really pretty. Like really pretty." Jack said, receiving a smile from his father.

"I'm sure she does. She always does." Chris chuckled.

"She'll be coming soon won't she?"

"Yeah, hopefully, assuming she didn't do a runner. All the guests are arriving so she'll be here after them." Chris spoke watching the people entering the church. It wasn't a huge group, just their close friends and family. Neither wanted anything more than that, it wasn't about the money or ceremony, it was about their love.

Jack flicked his glance to the headstones. He was too young, and Chris had never brought him to his parents, not yet at least. He didn't want to upset him.

"That's my other Granny and Granddad, isn't it?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yeah it is. You know they loved kids, and they would have just adored you." Chris smiled as he thought of it. When he was a teenager his parents always teased him with any girlfriends, warning him and saying they were too young to be grandparents.

…

"Jack Redfield and Lauren Redfield." The young boy squinted slightly to read the names. "That's who I'm named after isn't it?"

"Yup, you're named after both your Grandfathers, Mister Jack Richard." Chris smiled.

…

"Do you miss them?" Jack asked. Chris bowed his head, his son was far too smart for his own good.

"Yeah I do, everyday actually…" Chris trailed. He looked down as his son squeezed tightly to give him a big hug, holding on for dear life. A smile crept upon Chris's lips, "You alright, you big goof?"

"Yeah, I just don't want to ever lose you or Mommy…" Jack grumbled into Chris's shoulder. Chris smiled lightly and hugged him tightly back.

"You won't lose us." Planting a small kiss on his head, Chris gently closed his eyes.

* * *

Jill arrived at the Church right on time. She just hoped Chris was as nervous as she was. She knew she shouldn't have been, just couldn't seem to help it. Dick noticed her worry, and grasped onto her hand as he led her in. He whispered words of encouragement which brought some comfort to her.

It still just felt like a dream, after all these years, was she really going to get married? It seemed surreal. But finally everyone got the life they deserved.

As she stepped up the aisle, she glanced to all their family and friends. She couldn't help but smile at how they had progressed and how happy they were.

Jake sat with his arm wrapped tightly around his wife. He knew both from the BSAA, and was very good friends with Chris. He knew how devoted Chris was to Jill, and it brought a smile to his face that the two would finally be together.

Rebecca sat with her new man, who also happened to be a doctor. They had been together for a couple of years, and Jill was happy that her friend finally found someone. On top of that Jill was one of the few people who knew their secret. Rebecca moved her hand to her abdomen, and gave a bright smile to her man.

Despite all odds, Carlos and Sophia had grown with each other. The birth of their daughter brought them closer. And situated between her mother and father, little Eva sat with a bright smile on her face. Jill smiled back, jokily thinking she would be a situable wife for Jack in years to come.

As predicted, Leon and Ada found comfort with each other. It took a while for Ada to be cleared by the BSAA but Chris stood up for her, after all she finished Alex. It was a strange relationship, both were too stubborn to admit their love, but it was obvious to everyone through their actions.

Anna had moved from home to attend University. Of course she was more than willing to come home for her father's wedding, she was unbelievably proud of him. Jill noticed she held hands with the young man next to her. She smiled knowing Chris would now regret putting plus one on the invite.

Finally Jill looked to Claire and Luke. She was so pleased for them. Both of them were great people and deserved each other. She could tell they would last, because they acted the exact same way her and Chris did. On top of that, the beautiful ring on Claire's left hand was there for a reason. Claire wouldn't be a Redfield for long.

Jill walked to the end of the aisle, Dick letting go of her arm. She looked to Chris. He looked perfect, just as handsome as he was when she first laid eyes on him in the STARS days. She took his breath away and he stood almost dumbfounded. She gave him a wink, to which he smiled brightly at.

The ceremony was conducted by the same Priest Chris had known since he was young, and it passed without flaw.

In the two simple words of 'I Do', both Chris and Jill had found utter bliss. Together they would share passion and pain, but most of all they would share hope. After years of fighting, their family would bring them the peace they both desired most.

-x-


End file.
